Sakuno at Rikkai Dai
by yvie
Summary: At sweet sixteen, Sakuno is still shy and timid. However, she is now beginning her first year in senior high at Rikkai Dai instead of Seigaku. Why? Read Eien no Kaze's Place of My Heart! Pairings will not include RyomaXSakuno!
1. Chapter 1: A Brand New Day

**Sakuno at Rikkai Dai**

_Author's note: This story was inspired by a fanfic called Place of My Heart, written by Eien no Kaze. Said author has kindly allowed me to borrow her idea of Sakuno's memory loss due to Ryoma and Tomoka's betrayal and later, the car accident, as well as her changing schools to Rikkai Dai. The setting is her first year in senior high and she is sixteen years old. _

_Disclaimer: I do not The Prince of Tennis and apart from the idea started by Eien no Kaze, the story is totally my own, including the teachers at Rikkai Dai and Yukimura Miyu, please enjoy._

**Chapter One: A Brand New Day**

It was a bright sunny morning when Ryuzaki Sakuno stepped outside the door to make her way to her new high school.

Given her extremely bad sense of direction, she had walked to Rikkai Dai everyday for the past week and now, she was confident of not losing her way. Fifteen minutes later, she was outside the gates of Rikkai Dai.

"This must be my lucky day! I haven't gotten lost… No, I couldn't have gotten lost. I went over the route so many times. Still, it's a nice feeling to arrive at my new school without having to ask anyone for directions." Sakuno thought to herself as she made her way to the teachers' office, as she was told when she received a pack of instructions for new students from the school.

When she was outside the teachers' office, she knocked politely, in her quiet manner, and went in.

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The bell rang. Yukimura Miyu dashed inside the classroom and sat down, breathing heavily for she woke up late and had to rush to school in a hurry. Usually her brother woke her but today he had to go to school early for practice, hence she overslept.

Their homeroom teacher, Sano-sensei, had not arrived yet and she was grateful because he was a strict teacher and had said that he would give her detention if she was late once more.

Miyu was putting out her pencil case when she heard the girls behind her talk of a new student. They were hoping that this new student would be a good-looking guy.

"I would rather it's a girl. Hopefully someone who likes to play tennis." Miyu thought wistfully.

She did not care too much for boys due to the fact that she had a brother who had lots of friends and they would always meet up at their house. It was not that she dislike them, it was only because she was around them all the time that she longed for a female confidante.

Miyu did not lack for friends at school. She got along with everyone but somehow was unable to make any close friends. It was probably due to the fact that she disliked most of the topics the girls in her class usually talked about, i.e. fashion, gossip and of course, guys.

The door slide open and Sano-sensei stepped inside. The class immediately became silent.

Sano-sensei turned to them and said, "As you all must have heard by now, we have a new student with us today." With that, he said to someone outside the door, "Come in."

Sakuno took a deep breath and stepped into the classroom.

She hated being in the center of attention because she was shy and timid by nature. She clutched her school bag tightly, hoping that no one would notice that her hands were shaking ever so slightly.

She stopped next to Sano-sensei and waited for him to tell her where to sit.

"This is Ryuzaki Sakuno. Would you like to introduce yourself, Ryuzaki?" Sano-sensei asked.

Sakuno gave a small nervous smile and said, "I am Ryuzaki Sakuno. Yoroshiku-onegaishimasu." She then bowed politely.

Sano-sensei looked around the classroom for an empty desk. He found one next to Miyu, by the window. "Ryuzaki, you can sit next to Yukimura Miyu in that empty seat. Yukimura, it would be nice if you can help Ryuzaki settle in since you have been in this school since junior high."

Miyu stood up and smiled, "Hai, sensei. Yuroshiku ne, Ryuzaki-san."

Sakuno was relieved to see that she would be sitting next to a girl because she was shy of boys. She sat down and hung her bag from the side of her desk.

Miyu said, "I'm Yukimura Miyu. You can just call me Miyu." Sakuno smiled in response to Miyu's friendly attitude and replied, "Then you must call me Sakuno."

The two girls smiled at each other, both feeling they had made a new friend.

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At lunchtime, Miyu took Sakuno to a sunny spot outside on the grass to eat their bento. She liked the shy and hesitant but gentle girl.

She said, "By the way, Sakuno, will you be joining any clubs? There are a lot of choices in Rikkai Dai. I am in the girls' tennis club myself, though it is rather small compared to the boys' tennis club."

Sakuno brightened at the mention of tennis. She said, "Really? You are in the girls' tennis club? That's great because I want to join." Sakuno liked tennis due to the influence of… something that she had forgotten.

She was not a very good player but she enjoyed practicing. Anyhow she was not competitive so it did not bother her very much.

Miyu laughed, "Yosh, after school I will take you to join our club. There's no activity today so after we find buchou, if you like I will show you more of the school grounds. This place is so big we can't possibly cover it in one lunch time."

Sakuno agreed.

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After school, Miyu ran and got Sakuno a club-joining form.

Sakuno wrote her name and class on the form. She then signed it carefully, biting her lip in concentration. "Yosh! Miyu-chan, where do I hand this in now?"

Miyu checked the form over and nodded. "Come on, I'll take you to our buchou. She's called Yamamoto Reika and she's really nice. Not like my brother…" The last bit was muttered under her breath but Sakuno heard her.

She asked as they walked along the corridor. "Is your brother is a really horrible person? You said he's not like our buchou. Ah! Gomen! I shouldn't have asked such a personal question! Honto ni gomen-nasai! Miyu-chan!"

Miyu chuckled, "No, don't say that. It's fine. No, my brother is a gentle person normally but he is also the buchou of the boys' tennis club and then, he's really strict! I suppose I understand because they have a reputation to keep and if not for my brother and his friends, the boys' tennis club would not have won the senior high school nationals two years running.

Rikkai Dai has always been really strong in tennis. In fact, we are one of the best in the country but ever since my brother and his lot came up from Rikkai's junior high, they have reigned supreme in the boys' tennis club."

Sakuno gasped, "Wow… That is incredible! I didn't know that."

Miyu looked at her. "That's strange, so you didn't come into Rikkai because of our tennis reputation? I thought you like tennis?"

Sakuno blushed, "Well, I do like tennis but I had a car accident when the school year began and lost part of my memory. Obaa-chan decided that after I recovered that a new environment might be better for me. I think that before the accident, I was under some emotional stress and I try not to think about it because it gives me really bad headaches. I don't remember a lot of things about tennis but I do remember the basics and I know I really like it."

Sakuno had stopped walking when she started talking about her accident and memory loss. She had a slightly sad smile on her face and Miyu knew that although her tone was light, her heart was not.

She thought carefully before saying anything because she did not want to upset this sweet girl who brought out her strong protective streak. "So that's why you didn't start at the beginning of the term. Never mind! You can still learn about tennis now! Besides I would love telling you all that I know. I get a lot of tennis gossip from my brother and his lot."

Sakuno was easily distracted from her pensive mood and she smiled, her eyes twinkling, "That's true. Thank you Miyu-chan!"

Miyu winked at her good-naturedly and they continued walking in search of Yamamoto Reika.


	2. Chapter 2: The CakeCrazy Boy

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis and I do not want to either, too much work because it is a long ongoing series but I love the characters anyway._

**Chapter Two: The Cake-Crazy Boy**

Miyu rode her bike to school bright and early the next day. She had gotten her brother to wake her up before he went to morning practice. She enjoyed playing tennis but to her, it was more a sport and recreation than an essential part of life as it was for her brother and his lot.

She saw a familiar looking girl in front of her with two long braids swinging back and forth as she walked along. Miyu was about to call out a greeting when suddenly the girl in front tripped and fell.

Miyu sped up and stopped next to the girl on the ground, Sakuno. She stepped off her bike and gave a hand to Sakuno, saying, "Morning, Sakuno! Are you alright? That looked like a pretty heavy fall."

Sakuno looked up and accepted the hand of help offered to her. She pulled herself up, blushing a little at the thought of her new-found friend seeing her clumsiness.

She thanked Miyu prettily and said, "I am such an accident prone that I am actually used to falling down, so you don't have to worry. This is normal for me, I am very tough!"

Miyu smothered her urge to smile for Sakuno was one of the most petite girls she had ever seen; even Miyu was taller by half a head, so the idea of Sakuno being tough was rather amusing. Still, not wanting to hurt her feelings, she kept the thought to herself.

Instead, she said, "Hop on, girl! I'll bike you to school!" Sakuno giggled and got on the back of the bike. They reached the school very soon after that and walked to their classroom.

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Marui Bunta finished off his bento and dessert on the roof top. He then made his way down to the school grounds looking for a place under the trees where the shadows would be cool and he could have a nap before the afternoon lessons began.

On the second floor, he suddenly smelt something that he loved.

The smell of freshly baked cakes!

He followed his nose and soon came to a first year classroom. He walked inside, still following his nose and not noticing the glances the first years, mostly girls, were giving him. He finally stopped in front of a desk where two girls were sitting.

He looked down and saw the cutest, sweetest-looking cup-cakes he had ever seen. He started drooling and thankfully, even in this hungry-for-cake state, he still managed to remember his manners and asked without looking away from the cakes, "Can I have some cakes please?" His tone was pathetically childish that it would take a heart to stone to reject him.

Sakuno was not only without a heart of stone, she was also softer-hearted than most, so it was not surprising that she said gently, though somewhat shyly, "I-If you like, senpai, I will wrap some up for you to take away."

Miyu was looking on with a wry expression on her face but when she heard that some of Sakuno's delicious cakes were going to be given away, which meant less for her, she spoke up quickly, "Sakuno, no! Bun-chan just had a load of cakes I can tell you. He always does at lunch. Don't give him any! It's unhealthy!"

Bunta looked at the person who dared to call him his childhood name and got a shock. "Miyu! What on earth are you doing here? And don't call me Bun-chan. It's Marui-senpai now."

Sakuno looked at them, her shyness over a boy who was also a stranger forgotten momentarily, and asked, "Do you know each other, Miyu-chan?"

Miyu wrinkled her nose slightly and nodded, "Yeah, this is Marui Bunta, one of my brother's friends. They are in the tennis club together. Bun-chan is one of the regulars. I hate to say it but he is not half bad when he plays. He loves cakes and eats them all the time, so don't bother giving them to him, he's already had a lot today and I'm sure he still has some in his school bag for before and after tennis practice. By the way, Bun-chan, I'm here because this is my classroom and I am eating with my friend, Ryuzaki Sakuno."

Bunta was annoyed at having his cake-fetish revealed in front of this gentle-looking girl with the delicious cakes, not that it was any big secret but still...

"I can always have more cakes, can't I? I do so much exercise that I really need the sugar! Besides, if you want, I'll swap my cakes for yours. Your cakes smell so nice." With that, he went back to staring and drooling at the cakes on Sakuno's desk.

Sakuno looked at Miyu and back at Bunta.

She said, "Ne, Marui-senpai, if you already had cakes this lunchtime, maybe it would be better for you not to have my cakes."

Miyu beamed and Bunta's face fell. "However," Sakuno went on quickly, "Tomorrow I will bring more cakes for you to eat at lunchtime, is that alright? That way, you can tell me what you like and I will try and make them. Okay?"

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Bunta thought for a moment. He really wanted to try those cakes but it might not be a good idea to eat that much because he did have a lot of cakes earlier and later he would be sick if he did not stop now.

He did not mind being sick for the sake of cakes but there was tennis practice today and if Yukimura and Sanada found out that he missed practice because of eating too many cakes, there would be hell to pay and he could kiss his cakes goodbye until, like, forever. Moreover, Miyu would be annoyed if he took the cakes and she would definitely tell Yukimura some tale or the other and he would be in trouble anyway because Yukimura was very protective of his sister.

He then came up with an idea. He grinned at his own cleverness and said, "How about I have one cake now and have the rest tomorrow."

Miyu was somewhat surprised that Bunta would give in so easily that she did not protest. Sakuno smiled and agreed.

Bunta took up one small cup-cake with a chocolate button on top. The cake was nicely golden and puffed out just right. Tears almost fell from his eyes as he regarded the lovely little cup-cake that gave off such a delicious aroma. Miyu rolled her eyes and sighed in a low voice, "Don't mind him when there are cakes in front of him, he is cake-crazy."

Sakuno giggled at her description of Bunta. She looked at Bunta as he peeled away the paper cup and popped the little cake into his mouth.

Bunta felt as if he was in his seventh heaven. The cake was not too sweet and not too stale, nor was it too soft or too cold. It tasted just right, as though it was made just for him.

He moaned to himself silently because he really wanted to eat another one but with Miyu there, he knew he had better not or there might be no more cakes in the future from anyone.

He knew for certain that if he annoyed Miyu that meant annoying Yukimura at the same time, and this Sakuno, with the lovely cakes, was Miyu's friend. Therefore, he turned to Sakuno and said, "That was really yummy! I promised to have one only so you have to make me lots and lots of cakes tomorrow, ne?"

Sakuno smiled at this rather cute and non-threatening senpai and nodded, "I promise. What flavour would you like, Marui-senpai? If you like, I can make enough so that you will have some for after school, ne?"

Miyu said dryly, "Are you sure you want to be so nice to him, Sakuno? He might want you to make cakes for him every day if you are so nice now."

Bunta's face lit up at the thought. Sakuno was not quite sure what to say. Miyu, knowing Sakuno to be a kind-hearted girl, sighed and said, "Don't worry; I won't let him bully you into doing that. I know him too well."

Bunta looked at Miyu with a puppy-hurt-look on his boyishly handsome face. "How can you say that, Miyu? I will never bully Sakuno-chan! I'm a gentleman!"

Miyu snorted rudely, "Yeah right, I believe you won't bully her but you'll try to get to do what you want anyway with your puppy-eyes trick."

Sakuno giggled at their bantering. "You two are so funny." She said with a twinkle in her eyes.

At that moment, the bell rang. Bunta winked at Sakuno and said quickly, "Any flavour would be fine as long as you're the one who make it!" With that, he ran out of the classroom quickly, missing Sakuno's blush after hearing his words.

Miyu shook her head and sighed again, "The cake-crazy boy!"


	3. Chapter 3: Injured

_Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis does not belong to me. _

**Chapter Three: Injured **

Sakuno took a long and much-needed drink after the tough but satisfying practice that she had just finished with the girls' tennis club. Compared to the boys' tennis club, the girls' club was much smaller but they were still very good and she knew that she would have to practice hard to keep up. There was no pressure because the girls' tennis club was much more concerned with the exercise and enjoying tennis rather than actual results in matches. They left the competition to the boys. However, although they were not as obsessed about it as the boys, they were part of Rikkai Dai and compared to a lot of schools, they were excellent and every time they went out to compete, whether it's a formal match or an informal one, more likely than not, they still came back with good news and awards. Sakuno was glad that there was no competitive pressure on her because by nature, she was a peace-loving girl and anyway, she was so klutzy that all she could do at the moment was keep up with the practice although she missed more balls than actually hitting them.

Reika came up to her, startling her out of her thoughts. She turned to her buchou quickly and bowed her polite little bow, "Go-gomen nasai, Reika-buchou! I didn't notice you coming!" Reika laughed, not the least perturbed about it, "Don't worry, Ryuzaki, We are not as formal as a lot of the other sports' clubs. You don't have to be so nervous. I just wanted to say that I really like your attitude during practice. Your style is fair but you really need to work on your eye-hand coordination, as well as your footwork because you seem to trip over them quite often. Still you don't seem to be afraid of hard work, so I wouldn't worry too much. Good practice though, kiddie!" Sakuno blushed and said, "Thank you, buchou!" Reika quirked a smile at this shy little girl, patted her head because she was so small and walked on, saying, "Ja na, Ryuzaki!" Sakuno answered, waving childishly at Reika's retreating back, "Hai-hai!"

Just then, Miyu came running up to her. "Sakuno, was that buchou? What did she say?" Sakuno smiled, "Ah, Miyu-chan, I'm really happy! Reika-buchou said that I need to practice my coordination and footwork." Miyu raised her eyebrows, "I'm sure that's not all that she said, or you wouldn't be so pleased." Sakuno nodded, "She also said that I have a good attitude during practice." Miyu laughed, pleased for her friend, "Buchou is good, isn't she? She always knows just the right thing to say and they are always true too." Miyu took a drink from her bottle and looked at her watch. She said, "Gomen, Sakuno, I have to go now, I promised Mum that I will help her buy some stuff after practice. Are you going?" Sakuno looked at the sky, which was still bright and shook her head, "I think I will stay and practice hitting balls against the wall for a while. I want to practice a bit more. You go along, I'll see you tomorrow!" Miyu nodded, "Okay, see you! By the way, if you want a good wall to practice against, go to where we had lunch the other day, that's a good place to practice." With that, she hurried off.

Sakuno picked up her racket, some balls, her towel and water bottle. She started to make her way to the spot Miyu mentioned. It was only a short distance away but since this was Sakuno, it could only be expected that she lost her way very quickly and found herself to be in a part of the school grounds where she had not been before. Come to think of it, it really did not matter, because she had only been in the school for a few days and even if she had been to this place, she would not know how to make her way back to the girls' tennis grounds where she came from. Still, Sakuno was really very good-natured and she reckoned that she would just find a random wall that did not have any windows on it and practice there. She did not realize if she could not find her way back to the girls' tennis grounds now, then she probably would not be able to make her way to the girls' changing rooms which were just next to the tennis grounds. However since it did not cross her mind, she was not worried about it at all. She had happily found a suitable wall in a clearing surrounded by bushes. Sakuno started to practice.

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Niou Masaharu was strolling along with Marui Bunta and Kurahara Jackal to the vending machines when they heard a peculiar sound. It sounded like a tennis ball being hit against a wall to their practiced ears, after all they have listening to the same kind of sound almost every day for at least six years: three years in junior high and two full years with one year to go in senior high at Rikkai Dai. However, this sound seemed a bit different, it went on for about three balls against the wall then would stop for while and there would be the soft sounds of pattering feet. The trio came to the conclusion that the person must have missed the ball and was picking it up. They were right for the sound of the ball hitting against the wall started again. It went on for about five balls this time, the trio was thinking when the ball-sound stopped and the pattering-feet-sound started again. Niou started chuckling to himself, thinking this to be the most amusing thing he had countered this week. He started to stroll toward the sound very quietly. Bunta and Jackal looked to one another and shrugged, and then they followed him. Who knew what would happen to the person who was unfortunate enough to catch the Trickster's attention when he had been bored.

They soon came to the clearing where Sakuno was painstakingly practicing her forehand and backhand. It was true that she played rather badly, not because her form was bad, but because she was too slow. Her concentration was intense though and she did not notice the rustle of the bushes behind her as Niou, then Bunta and Jackal appeared.

Bunta recognized Sakuno at once. How could he not, when he had so happily accepted her cakes that very afternoon, almost crying with joy. As a result, he had had a very silly grin on since lunch time up till the practice sessions from hell began as he thought of them. He wanted to call out to Sakuno but unfortunately Niou beat him to it, his observant eyes noticing the girl's intense concentration which he thought would be funny to break, being the sadistic person he was. He screamed suddenly, "Ahhh! Cockroaches! So many cockroaches!" It certainly broke Sakuno's concentration but not quite the way he had envisioned. He had been imaging along the lines of the girl jumping up and down, screaming hysterically, while he laughed his bottom off.

Sakuno did jump at his scream but extremely unfortunately for her, there was a tennis ball just rolling by her feet and she stepped on it when she jumped. As you could imagine, she tripped on the rolling ball, there was a nasty sound around her ankle and to top it all, her other foot slipped on the ground and she fell flat on her face.

_The Japanese schooling system is six years in primary school, three years in junior high and three in senior high. In the story, every one is in senior high, as I have mentioned several times. By the way, I would really like feed-back if it is not too much trouble, so after reading, please review! Cheers!_


	4. Chapter 4: Shame

_Disclaimer: Tennis no Oujisama does not belong to me!_

**Chapter Four: Shame**

After Sakuno's fall, there was a silence. Everyone was shocked at the impressive display of klutziness. Then Bunta came to his senses and ran to his precious source of cakes' side. "Sakuno-chan, are you alright?" He turned her over gently, wincing when he saw the scratches on her face and knees. Sakuno moaned softly and looked up. "Ittai…" Bunta shot a look at Niou before asking Sakuno, "Where do you hurt most?" He may be the cake-crazy boy but he was still a good lad and he was really worried because of the nasty sound when Sakuno fell. He thought that perhaps she had twisted her ankle. Sakuno tried to stand up and nearly fell down again when she put her weight on her right ankle. Luckily, Niou was there to catch hold of her. He had an uncharacteristic expression on his face, a mixture of concern (he did cause her injuries, indirectly) and a bit of shame (not too much because he rarely felt ashamed of his jokes and pranks). This was such an innocent-looking girl though, that his conscious was actually pricking him; in fact, he did not even know he had one.

Sakuno looked up and up at the person who caught her when she was about to fall again. Niou was taller than Bunta after all and of course much taller than Sakuno. She smiled shyly at him through her tearing eyes. This was because her body was hurting quite a bit; the ground was rough with little stones littered on the granite which were what scraped her knees and face raw, not to mention her right ankle. "Thank you, senpai. I am alright." Bunta knelt in front of her and said, "Ignore him, Sakuno-chan, he's the one who caused you to fall. Hop on; I'll take you to the san." Sakuno blushed and protested, "I'm fine, really, Marui-senpai! I can walk by myself." Jackal spoke up in his steady and calm voice, "Let Bunta carry you, you are in no condition to walk." Niou suddenly picked Sakuno up and carried her bridal-style. He said, "This is quicker. Get her stuff." He went off quickly but carefully as not to jostle Sakuno in his arms. Bunta and Jackal's jaws dropped. They had been together playing tennis since junior high and they had never seen him to actually care for someone who was hurt because of the Trickster. Jackal recovered first and started to pick up Sakuno's stuff. "Come along; let's go to the san. Anyway, how did you know the girl?" Bunta closed his jaw and stood up, "She's called Ryuzaki Sakuno and she's Miyu's friend. She makes the best cakes, I swear!" Jackal raised his eyebrows and said, "Really?" They started along to the san.

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Meanwhile, Niou and Sakuno had already reached the san but there was no sign of the doctor who was supposed to be on duty during club afternoons because so many people doing sports in such a large school means a lot of people with injuries one way or the other. It may be that it was already late and the doctor had gone. That was Niou's initial thought but he saw a note paper on the teacher's desk, saying she would be gone for thirty minutes to take a break. He put Sakuno down on one of the beds in the san.

Sakuno had been so surprised by Niou's action that she was speechless, her face blushing even more than usual for she had never been carried by a boy before and in the bridal-style too! Now she was calmer as she sat on the bed, looking at Niou as he got a first aid kit out. She thought about what Bunta had said about this person causing her fall. She remembered a scream of something but she was so concentrated on her practice that she did not catch what the words were; it was the sheer volume of the voice that had surprised her. She was about to thank Niou for bringing her to the san when he spoke up, almost roughly because he hated to apologize but he knew he had to this time because he was actually, honestly sorry that he hurt her, albeit indirectly, "I'm sorry… back then when I startled you. I-I didn't mean to make you fall. I just wanted to surprise you because you were concentrating so much."

Sakuno was touched by the rough apology. She might be a klutz; she might not be the brightest student but she had a kind heart and she could always feel when someone felt bad or sad. She did not know this person and yet she could sense that he was someone who was not used to bowing down to people but he was doing it to her, not literally but bowing down with his apology. She said, "Ano… You didn't startle me, I-I was just a bit surprised. You didn't cause my fall, senpai. I fall all the time, my family always say that I am very accident prone. You don't have to apologize because I probably would have slipped anyway. Besides you carried me to the san. Thank you for that because I would've gotten lost on my own. I'm new at Rikkai Dai." She was so intent on trying to make Niou feel better that she forgot her shyness and spoke to him naturally. Later she would recall the marvel of Rikkai's regulars because she actually spoke to these tennis idols with very little stuttering and stammering.

Niou stared at Sakuno with a stunned expression, another rarity for him. He was more used to people yelling at him after the Trickster had done his dirty deeds. This slip of a girl, a cute slip but still a slip, thanked him instead and said that it was her own fault. He now felt doubly ashamed, and for the first time in his life, found someone he did not want to trick ever again. He took the first aid kit and sat down in front of her. He said, "I'm Niou Masaharu, san-nen-sei, just call me Niou." (San-nen-sei means third year student; second year student would be ni-nen-sei and first year student is ichi-nen-sei.) Sakuno said in reply, "Ah… My name is Ryuzaki Sakuno, Niou-senpai. Yoroshiku-onegaishimasu." Niou nodded and silently started to treat her face wounds tenderly, his hands so careful as if he was afraid that he might break her.


	5. Meeting the Rikkai Regulars: Part One

_Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis does not belong to me._

**Chapter Five: Meeting the Rikkai Regulars (Part One)**

Bunta and Jackal arrived with Sakuno's stuff. Jackal put down Sakuno's racket and tennis balls and said, "I'm going back to tell Yukimura and Sanada what you guys are doing. Are you going to come back to practice, it's not over yet, but if you want to take …" He had forgotten this girl's name. "Sakuno, her name is Sakuno." Niou supplied, not looking up from his ministrations.

Jackal and Bunta looked surprised but Jackal went on, "Right, if you want to take Sakuno home, I can tell them that as well. Which is it?" Sakuno said, "Uh… ano… senpai-tachi, I-I can go home by myself. I-It's fine." Bunta and Niou said simultaneously, "No!"

They looked at one another and Bunta said, "Sakuno-chan, you might have twisted your ankle, there is no way that you can go home by yourself. Besides, what about your school-bag and tennis-bag? Those will be in the changing rooms and you still need to go back to get those and return the tennis balls to the sports' shed." Niou agreed, "Bunta's right, you are in no condition to walk by yourself or on your own, it will dangerous. I will carry you to get your stuff and Bunta can help. Then we will take you home."

Sakuno did not want to be a bother to anyone and she tried protesting but it did no good. She finally said, "Then I will wait for your tennis practice to finish. I don't want to you to get into any trouble with Yukimura-senpai. Miyu said that he's really strict about tennis." All three thought that this was a plausible idea and Jackal left to tell Yukimura and Sanada about this new turn of events, meaning they would have a visitor at the regulars' practice.

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All of them, including Jackal, were quite surprised at the turn of events. What had started as one of Niou's normal nasty tricks had actually backfired in a strange way. Jackal, being more observant of the doubles' pair with Bunta, could guess a little about Niou's change of attitude, unusual though it was. He thought that it was not too strange considering Sakuno's shy and demure character, which was rare when Rikkai Dai's tennis regulars were usually surrounded or sometimes even stalked by overly enthusiastic fans. Most of these fans would turn up and when they do, the words 'shy', 'demure' or generally 'quiet' did not seem to exist.

Although Sakuno's type of girl did not appeal to him as attractive, he could appropriate the refreshing change very much after being bombarded with screams during practice earlier, until Sanada, as usual, had flipped and actually managed to clear all the members of the opposite sex away. Possibly he was the only one who could do that by sheer force of character. Niou could also clear the area around the courts but it was always with extremely nasty tricks like the release of real cockroaches that he claimed to have bred himself just for that purpose.

He thought back on one actual incident when Niou actually did do that. He released cockroaches and not only the girls ran but also quite a number of the boys in the tennis club. He had to agree that while it was an effective trick, it was very disgusting and the whole school had to conduct a pestilence clearance during the weekend and all practices were cancelled.

Yukimura and Sanada were not pleased but they could not begrudge Niou's actions, probably because even they were fed up with the fan-girls' screaming at everything they did.

As for Niou, Akaya and Bunta, they had a great time, laughing until they were rolling on the courts at the panic Niou caused.

Yanagi simply noted down as much as he could of people who were scared by cockroaches, mumbling under his breath that this data might come in useful. Even since their match against Seigaku during their last year in junior high, when Yanagi had reunited with his childhood friend, Inui, his actions had definitely gotten more and more on the weird side. He even started to collaborate with Inui on some supposedly super version of a health drink.

As for Yagyuu, he pushed his glasses up and sat down on a side-bench, saying he would be taking a break since no one was concentrating on practice yet.

During all that, he had sat down with Yagyuu and patiently waited for practice to start again, thinking what all the fuss was about. Cockroaches were disgusting but surely there was no need for all the screaming and yelling and stampeding away from them, not that he was complaining since it meant a noise-free practice.

With his long and quick strides, he had reached their regulars' practice grounds. Sanada Genichirou had noticed him already and looking towards him with a frown on his stern face. Jackal had known that it would be like this so he was not concerned, besides it was not his fault that they were late. He went up to Sanada, ready to give his explanation, when Yukimura gave the signal for the others to stop and gather round.

It was unusual for three members of the regulars to be late at the same time because the competition was always heavy and no one knew when someone would be good enough to take your place, so they were always diligent about practice, despite their various odd personalities. Therefore Yukimura thought all the regulars had the right to hear what Jackal had to say about them being late and why Niou and Bunta were still missing.

When everyone was gathered round, Jackal did not wait for Sanada or Yukimura to start questioning him. He just started to explain in his steady way, "Well, we were going to the vending machines when…"

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"How did it end up like this?" thought Sakuno as Amano-sensei, the doctor on duty, finished bandaging her ankle. Amano-sensei then interrupted her thoughts as she gave her instructions to stay off her feet as much as possible for the next two weeks for it was a bad sprain and if not allowed to heal fully, then later, it might come back to give her trouble. Amano-sensei also told Sakuno to come each day to change bandages and tomorrow, she would give her a crutch. They were out of crutches in the mean time because of a delayed order that should arrive tomorrow.

While she was speaking to Sakuno, she was actually looking at Bunta and Niou. She knew both of them for Bunta sometimes came for medicine after eating too many cakes when there were cooking classes and a lot of girls would give their cakes to Bunta knowing he would accept them. Amano-sensei was also familiar with Niou, not personally but mostly through word-of-mouth from her patients who were at the wrong end of the Trickster's jokes.

Bunta and Niou could tell that Amano-sensei wanted them to take care of Sakuno and when she finished giving instructions to Sakuno, Bunta spoke up, "We'll take her home later and tomorrow, we'll come back with her to change the bandages and get the crutch, sensei." Amano-sensei nodded; too tired after a long day to really say more even though she was a bit curious as to why Niou was with this girl when he never seemed to care about other people. It was not her problem though so she did not say anything and released the three.

Bunta and Niou started to argue whether who should carry Sakuno, when Sakuno, very stupidly I might add, tried to stand on her left foot, hold her right foot up. This was obviously a misguided attempt to show that she could walk or rather, hop, on her own. Sakuno thought that she really should be more independent and she also disliked arguments whether she was in it or not.

Noticing Sakuno's clumsy movements, Niou broke off mid-argument and again swept Sakuno off her feet. Sakuno squeaked and blushed seven shades of red because she was aware that Amano-sensei was looking on with an amused expression. Bunta stopped protesting against Niou picking Sakuno up when he noticed, just a split second later than Niou, what Sakuno was trying to do. He sighed and picked up her stuff. The three turned to Amano-sensei and bowed politely, or in Niou and Sakuno's case, bobbed their heads, and they thanked her, "Arigatou-gozaimasu, Amano-sensei!"

Now that she was being carried and Niou and Bunta were bickering, Sakuno continued on her earlier, interrupted train of thoughts on this strange turn of events. To her, everything was normal up until she lost her way after practice while looking for a wall. It still felt pretty normal until she heard Niou-senpai's scream, then there was a rush to the san, they talked and now they seemed to be rushing again.

"Ano… Bunta-senpai, a-are we going to the tennis courts? Sakuno asked shyly. Bunta smiled at her and answered gently, "Later, now we are going to the girls' changing rooms to get your bags. Do you need help changing your clothes?" Niou smirked at this while Sakuno's eyes opened wide and her face turned an even deeper shade of crimson. Bunta noticed his mistake and quickly said, "No, I mean, uh… I mean, I don't mean that…"

He did not know what he was saying anyway, so embarrassed he was and so irritated at Niou's sniggering that he walked on faster, a faint blush covering his cheeks. Sakuno wanted to reassure him that she understood what he was trying to say but she was too shy to speak up at this moment so the three kept quiet while they made their way to the changing rooms.

In the end, they put Sakuno on one of the benches in the changing room and told her to yell when she finished changing. She found that she could only put on one shoe because the ankle that was injured was still quite swollen despite the bandages. She sighed, wrapped her shoe up and put it in her sports-bag with her tennis trainers. She thought, "Now I feel like Cinderella… No, don't be silly, Sakuno, you are too plain anyway, be sensible!"

After mentally chastising herself, she raised her voice, "Uh… ano, Bunta-senpai, Niou-senpai. I… I…" Apparently she found it hard to voice the words 'finished changing'. Bunta and Niou heard her call and came in anyway. They thought she looked very sweet in their school's uniform but neither wanted to embarrass her so they did not say anything other than, "Ready?" and "Let's go." Niou again picked Sakuno up. Bunta, by this time, had already given up arguing with Niou. He just shrugged and went after them, carrying Sakuno's bags.


	6. Meeting the Rikkai Regulars: Part Two

**_Disclaimer: I don't own The Prince of Tennis._**

**Chapter Six: Meeting the Rikkai Regulars (Part Two)**

Yanagi took something out of his tennis bag. The others saw that it was a digital camera. "What's that for, Yanagi-senpai?" Kirihara Akaya asked. Yagyuu answered for Yanagi, guessing what his friend was about to do, "He's getting ready to take Niou and Bunta's picture when they come back with the girl. We never see Niou with girls unless he's terrorizing them and when Bunta's with girls, there are always cakes in the picture, so this is a good chance to collect data."

Yanagi gave a sinister smile, not unlike Inui's when he was making his Penal-Tea, "That's correct, very good, Yagyuu. Since this is not tennis data, I can also sell them to people who would be interested."

The others raised their eye brows at this strange statement. Who would be interested in these silly photos other than Yanagi?

Yanagi correctly interpreted their looks and answered their unspoken question, "Sadaharu would be interested. I always get random information about the Seigaku regulars from him as well as interesting recipes. Em… Mizuki Hajime from St. Rudolph might also be interested. According to my data, he loves to gossip."

Akaya yelped, "So that's where you've been getting those horrible drinks that you are making us try, Yanagi-senpai!"

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Apparently, Rikkai Dai's boys' tennis club had been suffering lately because of Yanagi's recent obsession with Inui's Penal-Tea.

Inui advertised his wares to tennis clubs in other schools, claiming that his Penal-Tea had maximum effect when combined with tennis practice and that it had been experimented on and proven 'safe' for more than five years. The experiments were conducted on the Seigaku boys' tennis club and fellow lovers of The Prince of Tennis, we all know how lively they are.

Due to these sugared advertisements, his recipes sold very well, although they were not received well by the people who were made to drink them. Still it must be said that the Penal-Tea did its job well and he gathered very positive back-feed from his clients.

Most of them were in the effect of saying, "Our team has been running longer and faster during basic training." Or "The players have been hitting the tennis balls with higher accuracy and strength!"

Yanagi knew the reason why Inui was suddenly selling his recipes after five years of using them for himself and Seigaku. He now had a higher ambition and that is to build a laboratory devoted to the study of Penal-Tea and likewise 'health' drinks. Thus the sudden gathering of funds and feed-back.

888888

Just when Yanagi finished calculating the route they would probably come back by and stood there, ready with his evil camera, they appeared.

Click! Click! Click!

A series of clicks and flashes greeted the three and Niou immediately knew what had happened. He would have done the same if he was in Yanagi's position, except he would have used them for blackmail or something equally bad.

"Bunta, stop Yanagi!" He snapped amidst the clicks of the camera. Bunta sprinted off but Yanagi had already gone off somewhere to hide his camera. The rest of the regulars went up to meet them, extremely curious about Sakuno after Jackal's explanation.

None of them quite believed him when he said that Niou personally carried the girl off to the san and that he actually seemed ashamed and worried. Even Sanada was intrigued. He had known the Trickster a long time and he knew as well as any person that the Trickster only cared for himself and had almost no conscience when it came to amusing himself.

Sakuno was not expecting the whole group of tall, well-built tennis players to crowd around them like that and she was rather intimidated.

One Bunta was harmless to her, two Niou was gentle and three Jackal kept his distance but now this was the lot of them, including a very stern-looking Sanada, a wicked-looking Akaya, the reputedly strict Yukimura and the unreadable Yagyuu.

Fortunately, though not by much, Yanagi was still hiding his camera from Bunta, so there was one less person to intimidate her, even if they did not mean to.

Yukimura noticed her discomfort and being the gentle person he usually was, motioned the others to back off a bit. They did and he said with a soothing smile, "You must be Ryuzaki Sakuno. Jackal told us what happened. How's your ankle? I'm so sorry Niou caused you so much trouble."

Sakuno, not so tensed after the regulars had backed off, was anxious to defend Niou because she honestly did not think it was his fault and she could not understand why every one seemed to blame him. She probably would have tripped and fallen down anyway, whether there was someone to startle her or not.

"Ah… ano…" She was not sure who this person was. Yukimura smiled, "I'm Yukimura Seiichi, the boys' tennis club's buchou." Sakuno continued, "H-hai, Yukimura-senpai. Thank you for caring. Ah… my ankle is fine but you mustn't blame Niou-senpai! It's not his fault, I tripped on my own! I'm always so careless so it's really not his fault! He was very kind to me when I hurt myself, as well as Bunta-senpai and Jackal-senpai. I can't thank them enough! Please, I'm really sorry for getting them in trouble! Ano… they are not in trouble, are they, Yukimura-senpai?"

Sakuno was so anxious she was crying. Everyone was really shocked to see a girl crying because of Yukimura. If it was Niou or Sanada, they would understand and even accept as normal but Yukimura had never made a girl cry before, not that they know of, and definitely not shy little girls like Sakuno who seemed more likely to be afraid of the tall Niou or the stern Sanada rather than the gentle, almost beautiful Yukimura.

Yukimura looked distressed. He was protective at heart and to see this injured girl crying because of him was too much of a shock that he spoke without thinking, "Ryuzaki-chan, don't cry. They are not in trouble. Don't worry, they are not in trouble."

This time it was Sanada was looked distressed because he felt that at least, Bunta and Niou should run a few extra laps for being late. If not Bunta, then surely Niou should run the laps because he appeared to have caused all this in the beginning.

However, Yukimura was a man of his words and since he had said they were not in trouble, then they were not. Niou, of course, was pleased. He had a smirk on his face which he quickly smothered when Sakuno looked at him and asked, "R-really? Niou-senpai, Bunta-senpai and you are not in trouble?"

Niou kept a perfectly solemn face when he looked at Yukimura and answered in a clear voice, "No, Sakuno, we are NOT in trouble. You don't have to worry now. Yukimura and Sanada are NOT going to punish any of us. Right? Sanada?" His tone was slightly smug, not too much because he did not want Sakuno to notice but he could not resist emphasizing the 'NOT', just to goad Sanada because Sanada was glaring at him.

Sakuno sniffed and stopped crying. She looked at Yukimura, "G-gomen-nasai, Yukimura-senpai. I-I have kept every one from practice and I have also made a spectacle of myself…" She was horrified at her outburst earlier and her eyes started to tear again.


	7. Meeting the Rikkai Regulars: Part Three

_Disclaimer: I do not own any part of The Prince of Tennis._

**Author's Thanks:** _I would really like to thank some people who have read my story and cared about it enough to send me reviews. They are_** Fujiko-chan, whitelilies Shy-Lil-Dreamer, noomma, Eien no Kaze, vines-throughXfate, Angel **_and_** Kei.**

_I read fanfic and sometimes at the end, the author would say more reviews would help her/him update faster. I didn't understand why at the time but now I do. I meant to finish more chapters before updating but now I just had to put this up in case anyone's waiting. _

**Angel-san,**_ thank you for your long review. I know I am focusing on the_** Rikkai Boys** _at the moment but don't worry, the_ **Seigaku Guys** _will come up, but as to what will happen... I am afraid you will have to wait and see! I want to comment on your pairings but I can't because that would be giving the story away. Therefore I will settle for '**all of them will get a chance**_** _to interact_ **_**with Sakuno'** in future chapters, of course, some more than most or that's to be expected._

**Kei-san,** _thank you for saying that I am keeping the characters in... well, in character (sounds kind of odd, put like that ) but I was really pleased to see you write that because I try and I re-read to make sure that they keep as close to the image from the manga and anime as I can possibly make it. It was really nice of you to notice!_

_By the way, fellow fans of The Prince of Tennis, I love your reviews but if you can, please send along with your review a way for me to reply privately, like an email address. Most of the time, I prefer to answer the reviewers separately because that way I can write more and answer more specifically what each person has to say. Besides I want to the story to itself and not add comments. It looks neater that way. Don't get me wrong, I am honestly grateful for all the reviews I have received, they are like Christmas presents to me. I just like to answer these presents personally._

_Just one more thing and then you can get on with the story! I am very quickly doing a short piece on the Rikkai Boys and Valentine's Day. When it is posted, I hope you will enjoy it as you did this story! Cheers!_

**Chapter Seven: Meeting the Rikkai Regulars (Part Three)**

Just as Sakuno was about to cry, Yagyuu Hiroshi came up and lifted Sakuno from his doubles' partner's arms. Sakuno was surprised and she forgot she was about to cry, which was precisely what Yagyuu was hoping for.

He carried her gently over to a side-bench and set her down. Then he took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders for it was a chilly day. Sakuno blushed for the umpteenth time that afternoon and thanked him softly. Yagyuu nodded and walked off.

Although everyone wanted to crowd around Sakuno and be nosy… well not everyone, because Yagyuu, Sanada and Jackal were already getting ready to practice again. Yanagi had come back after stashing his camera somewhere safe, with Bunta still running after him half-heartedly.

Bunta had suddenly realized that he did not really care about the photos since he was just carrying Sakuno's stuff, unlike Niou who would be teased if anyone saw those photos. I should rephrase, Niou might be teased by anyone who saw those photos and was suicidal enough not to be afraid of retribution.

Bunta winked at Sakuno and was about to go over and check on her when Sanada pulled on his collar and dragged him away. Sakuno giggled at the sight.

Yanagi being one of the three who was in charge of the tennis club, ignored the signals for the start of practice and went over to chat with Sakuno.

He sat down next to her and got ready to record data. Yanagi said, "Ryuzaki-san darou? I'm Yanagi Renji. How are you feeling?" Sakuno looked down at her twiddling thumbs, "Uh… I-I'm fine, thank you, Yanagi-senpai." Yanagi continued to ask, "So… you are in Miyu-chan's class… she is a nice girl, isn't she?"

To those who might get the wrong idea here, Yanagi was trying to put Sakuno at ease. He was not interested in Miyu as a girl.

Sakuno brightened and smiled at Yanagi at the mention of Miyu, "Hai, Miyu-chan is very kind. She helped me so much these first few days! Without her, I would have been so lonely!" Yanagi smiled and noted that down, then he went on, "Yes, she had always been a friendly girl, we, everyone here that is, have known her since junior high." Sakuno nodded, much more comfortable when talking about her friend, "Hai, Miyu-chan told me senpai-tachi would go to Yukimura-senpai and Miyu-chan's house sometimes."

Yanagi already heard from Jackal earlier that Sakuno knew Bunta, so he tried to steer the conversation to that direction, "Miyu-chan calls Bunta 'Bun-chan', do you know? It is really quite funny because Bunta hates it and gets annoyed every time. That is probably why Miyu-chan keeps on doing it."

Sakuno laughed out loud; rather unusual for her but the memory of yesterday afternoon was quite funny, "I know, she did that yesterday when Bunta-senpai came to our classroom. I think that he had smelt the cakes I made because when he came in, he was sniffing and he wasn't looking at anyone until he stopped by my desk. Bunta-senpai didn't even notice Miyu-chan until she called him. Bunta-senpai makes me laugh; he's a really nice senpai."

Yanagi was quickly noting all of this down, adding comments like, "Bunta has a nose like a dog's when there are cakes nearby, must try it with other nice-smelling food, maybe made by Ryuzaki." And "Ryuzaki has good impression of Bunta, thinks he's nice." And "Ryuzaki is very polite to everyone, even Bunta."

He did not speak for a while, being engrossed in his data. Sakuno did not mind; she was watching the famed Rikkai regulars play against one another. It was truly something to marvel at; their swiftness, their strength and their style.

She thought, "I didn't know that boys can be beautiful… did I? I seem to have seen someone who plays tennis beautifully before… who was it?"

At that moment, her head started to hurt and her train of thought was broken. She groaned softly, putting her hands on her head and shaking it from side to side, as if she was trying to dislodge her headache.

Yanagi noticed and asked with concern in his voice, "Ryuzaki-san? Are you alright, Ryuzaki-san?" He patted her back to try and catch her attention without the others noticing.

If practice was disturbed again, Sanada would probably flip and Sakuno would get even more frightened of him. Now that would not do at all because he was looking forward to collecting some interesting data concerning the regulars' behavior around this little girl.

At least some of them acted differently when she was around, like Niou, Bunta and Yukimura. By Jove, Yukimura seemed almost reluctant to come near Sakuno again because he thought that he had made her cry.

Sakuno looked up at Yanagi when he patted her back, not registering who he was at first glance because her head hurt so much. Then it slowly subsided and she blinked, "Uh… Yanagi-senpai?"

Yanagi repeated his question patiently and Sakuno blinked several times before she had the presence of mind to answer, "Uh… uh… I-I'm fine, thank you, Yanagi-senpai." She turned back to looking at her hands which were now resting on her knees.

Yanagi looked at her for a while before noting down, "Ryuzaki has possible health problems. Ask Miyu about it. It may be important later." He was about to speak again, then thought maybe she probably needed someone more sensitive after her earlier obvious physical discomfort.

He knew himself reasonably well and when he was in data-collecting mode, he could be rather callous. It would not be in his best interests to invoke negative emotions in Ryuzaki at the moment. He caught his own line of thought and mentally punched himself for being callous in this type of thinking concerning this hurt little girl.

He said, "Excuse me, Ryuzaki-san." Sakuno replied, "Uh… hai, Yanagi-senpai." Yanagi made his way to the spot where he put his tennis bag and got his racket, ready to practice again.

He was also thinking who would be the best person to comfort Sakuno and just maybe… no, that would callous… but, ahhh… morality issues and data collecting, which would be more important? Em… he thought some more about it, not that anyone could tell because he always looked as if he was thinking about something or the other.

He finally came to a conclusion that since he would not be the one collecting data directly; there would be no morality issues for him, just for the person who would be giving him the data.

He mentally congratulated himself on getting around that issue and went back to thinking of one possible data collecting… no, possible sensitive and good-at-comforting candidate out of the regulars.

Sanada, Jackal and Yagyuu were all not suitable.

Sanada would frighten her too much, besides it would extremely difficult to get data about girls from Sanada; he could be really dense.

Jackal was engrossed in practice at the moment and besides, he was not the overly curious type and therefore would not care for the mission.

Yagyuu was a gentleman therefore he would be too polite to broach any interesting topics, thus he would be useless.

Niou may be a possibility but to get data out of him was too risky, besides he was not good comforting material, at least not that he could see.

That leaves Bunta, Yukimura and Akaya. Yanagi pretended to adjust his shoelaces while he thought some more.

Bunta was quite smart when he wanted to be and would also be very easy to bribe for data. However, he seemed to be quite friendly with Ryuzaki and might not be inclined to give any information about her.

Yukimura would want some time to compose himself before facing the girl he recently frightened into tears; Yanagi thought he knew why Sakuno cried but Yukimura would not believe him; the shock was too great to see a girl cry because of his words… em… partly because of his words.

That leaves Akaya. Would that be a good idea? Akaya was rather cold at times but he would be easy to glean data from because he did not have an interest in keeping quiet anyway. Akaya was also intelligent and sharp; he noticed many things that people would normally miss.

Anyway, he would be the only one left besides Yanagi and he was useless when he was only interested in data-collecting; he would probably forget himself some time or the other and ask some really embarrassing question and frighten her.

Having made up his mind, he motioned to Yukimura, who would be easier to persuade than Sanada about letting Akaya keep Sakuno company until practice ended. There was only about thirty minutes left anyway.

Yukimura came over obligingly. He looked at Yanagi with his head tipped to one side, a habit that many girls thought extremely cute; Yanagi had that noted down somewhere. He said directly, "Seiichi, I think it would be a good idea to let Akaya keep Ryuzaki company until practice ends. She seems lonely over there."

Yukimura looked surprised and a little touched, "I didn't know that you are such a caring person, Renji. That might be a good idea; in fact, we have caused her quite a lot of misery today."

He grimaced slightly, "I would have to apologize to her about making her cry earlier. That will have to wait because I am just not prepared to do it yet." For all his outward calm and sophistication, Yukimura was actually rather shy around girls except for his sister and mother.

Yanagi coughed and said, "Yes, well, then I will call Akaya over and introduce her to Sakuno." Yukimura nodded and went back onto the court, thinking about his apology. Yanagi then motioned to Akaya, who looked pleased to be out of Sanada's way for the time being.

Sanada had been in a bad mood because of continued interruptions to today's practice and he was being especially strict with Akaya because of that. Yanagi noticed Sanada glare at him out of the corner of his eye but he ignored it; his data… no, a little girl was more important than Sanada in a bad mood.

Akaya smirked insolently while his greeting was polite, "Hai, Yanagi-senpai. What do you want me for?" Then he muttered under his breath which Yanagi ignored as well, "Anything to get away from Sanada-fukubuchou when he's in that mood."

Yanagi explained, "Akaya, Yukimura and I want you to keep Ryuzaki company until the end of practice. She seems to be lonely over there and we have given her a lot of trouble today, with Niou and later, Yukimura. She also seems to be rather shy. Try and put her at ease and get her to talk, maybe that will help her to forget her injuries. Later, I will ask for your report in case you said something to disturb her, so take care you don't or I will hand you over to Sanada for the rest of the year."

Akaya shrugged, "Whatever." They walked over to where Sakuno was sitting. Yanagi smiled, "Ryuzaki-san, this is Kirihara Akaya. He is in the year above you and since he's taking a break, I thought he could keep you company."

Sakuno looked up, "A-arigatou-gozaimasu, Yanagi-senpai, Kirihara-senpai. I would be glad of some company." That amounted to saying she was bored and Sakuno was startled that she dared to make such an insinuation in front of the regulars.

She was about to apologize when Yanagi patted her head, totally treating her like a little girl, "That's alright, I would be bored too. Now, I leave you two to get better acquainted."

Not realizing that he sounded like a matchmaker, he left the pair, feeling very satisfied.


	8. Meeting the Rikkai Regulars: Part Four

_Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis does not belong to me._

**Chapter Eight: Meeting the Rikkai Regulars (Part Four)**

Akaya wanted to stick his tongue out at Yanagi's retreating back but thought better of it. Instead he shrugged and plopped down next to Sakuno. He looked at her lazily, "So, you're Sakuno, right?" Sakuno blushed at the bold tone he used.

She replied hesitantly, "H-hai, Kirihara-senpai." Akaya frowned, "Just call me Akaya. Kirihara sounds too long. Besides all my enemies call me Kirihara, I prefer to hear Akaya if you are not my enemy."

Startled, Sakuno swung round to look at him, "E-enemies? Kiri… uh, Akaya-senpai." Akaya smirked, "Well, okay, tennis opponents. They are enemies to me so it doesn't make much of a difference what I call them."

Sakuno thought that made sense so she nodded. Akaya was pleased that she was so agreeable.

Being the youngest in the regulars was annoying. Everyone either treated him like a spoilt little boy, (well he really was one but he would never admit it), or made him listen to them whether they made sense or not. Oh, we must not forget all the errands that he was made to run just because they were too lazy to do it themselves.

Now here was someone who would listen and agree with him. Very pleasant indeed and that put Akaya in a good mood.

He was prepared to take an interest in this sweet little doggy, no, doggy had fangs and claws and she obviously did not. He then noticed her braids. That was it, a bunny, she reminded him of a bunny!

He took one of her long braids in his hands and pulled gently, "How come you cried back then? I've never seen buchou make anyone cry before. You sure startled all of us!"

Sakuno widened her eyes in surprise, "Yukimura-senpai didn't make me cry! I was just worried for Niou-senpai and Bunta-senpai because it was not their fault that they were late. It was because I was so clumsy."

Akaya lifted his eyebrows, "Really? It sure looked like buchou made you cry. He seems pretty upset over it. He was actually frowning." Yukimura was not really frowning but Akaya thought it would be fun to exaggerate things a bit.

Sakuno was distressed and she said, "Oh, I must explain to Yukimura-senpai that it was not his fault that I was crying. He was so kind not to punish Niou-senpai and Bunta-senpai and he was also Miyu-chan's important brother. I must explain."

As was her bad habit, in her haste to get to Yukimura, she completely forgot that she was not able to walk at the moment without either hurting or falling down.

She hurried stood up and immediately fell down because her sprained ankle was so painful. Akaya looked surprised and pulled her back up on the bench immediately. He had no idea that there were people who can be so silly in the world. "Geez, I was just kidding! Are you alright?"

He was careless and cruel sometimes but he was not stupid. He knew that if any of the regulars noticed what Sakuno had just done, he would be the one taking the blame and Yanagi would really assign him to be 'specially' trained by Sanada for the rest of the year.

Besides, she was a cute little thing and had not done anything to offend him, so part of the worry he was feeling now was really for her.

Sakuno tried to smile but tears started to drop out the corners of her eyes, "I-I'm fine, Akaya-senpai, it just h-hurts a little, ne…"

Akaya laughed without sounding like he was laughing, he was so exasperated, and exclaimed "To hell you're fine! Come on, let me have a look, I hope the bandages were tight or we'll have to go to the san again and I'll really be in trouble."

Sakuno gulped, she did not want to have her ankle re-bandaged because it would be painful and she was not particularly fond of pain, "Ah… gomen-nasai, Akaya-senpai."

She was so busy chastising herself in the manner of repeated 'Baka Sakuno! Baka Sakuno!" that she did not notice Akaya had pulled her entire right leg onto the bench with her foot resting on his lap.

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Fellow readers, if you recall what the Japanese school skirts look like, you will remember that they tend to be extremely short, mostly ending mid-thigh. Yes, and with Sakuno's position now, it means that her pale pink panties were extremely visible.

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It was fortunate or rather unfortunate that Akaya, for once, was really paying attention to her bandages and not her bare leg. I say this because the next thing the two, totally innocent (in this situation) young people noticed were some shadows crowding over them.

They looked up slowly.

It was Akaya's turn to gulp; he knew that he was in (pardon my language) deep shit.

In Sakuno's case, this was the second time that day, so she was not as intimidated.

Instead, as soon as she saw Yukimura standing next to her, she caught hold of his tennis jacket's sleeve and said, "A-ano… Yukimura-senpai, I'm sorry I cried earlier. I was just worried about Niou-senpai and Bunta-senpai. Akaya-senpai told me that you thought you made me cry but that's not true. You are so kind and also, you are Miyu-chan's brother. How can I be afraid of you? You didn't make me cry. I'm sorry that you thought so."

The ominous atmosphere that Akaya sensed and Sakuno was oblivious to dissipated immediately at her hurried but sincere words. Having heard her explanation, Yukimura took hold of her hand and knelt down on one knee, so that he was looking directly into her eyes.

He smiled a smile that would bring the most hardened man-hater to her knees, not that he realized it of course. Sakuno stared, not immune to his beauty any more than the next person.

He smiled because he was so relieved and so touched by Sakuno's concern for others that he unwittingly kissed Sakuno's hand gently before speaking, "I am glad that I did not make such a sweet girl cry. It near broke my heart when I saw you with tears running down your face. Miyu is the luckiest girl to have made a friend like you."

At the mention of Miyu, Sakuno snapped out of her shyness at the smile and the kiss at which she turned bright red, "I like Miyu-chan; she is such a wonderful person, Yukimura-senpai." The two smiled silly smiles at one another at the thought of Miyu.

(Fellow readers, this is a reminder that this is strictly boy and girl romance only. There would be no girl and girl and no brother and sister, although they are still boy and girl. Please keep an innocent mind when reading the above lines!)

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Meanwhile, the others were in various degrees of shock and surprise. They would later reflect in the privacy of their rooms on what a strange and eventful afternoon it had been.

Bunta, Jackal and Akaya all had their jaws hanging down; they had never seen Yukimura so gentle and intimate with a girl before. He was always courteous to everyone, except during practice, and Miyu did not count.

Bunta and Akaya had even huddled in dark corners during practice breaks to whisper whether Yukimura was really gay or not. They whispered because if anyone heard them, for example, Sanada, I am sure I do have to spell out what they end up as. They knew or would have an idea how dead they would be, therefore the speculation never went past whispers and dark corners.

Sanada did not have his jaw hanging down because that would be too undignified and he did not do things like that. Mentally though, his jaw was definitely off its hinges.

Yukimura and he were best friends and even he did not know about this side of Yukimura, not that he wanted to of course, it was mildly surprising for him, that was all. Yes, that was it, a mildly surprising revelation about his best friend.

(Sanada is not harboring a secret love for Yukimura!)

Yagyuu's glasses slid off the bridge of his nose and he forgot to push it back up, so surprised he was. Personally, he thought that it was a very gentlemanly gesture but he had always thought of Yukimura to be much more reserved on matters concerning courting the opposite sex.

However, he composed himself remarkably quickly and decided to have a talk with Yukimura later to see if he needed gentlemanly support. It might be early days but one should never be unprepared for matters of the heart.

Niou's face was unreadable but if one was observant enough, one could notice his fists were clenched tightly and that his eyes were slightly narrowed. He did not know what it was that he was feeling.

It could be jealousy except that he only knew this girl this afternoon and he never got jealous; he was sure about that… em… yes, he was sure that he was sure… he SAID that he was sure!

Yes, he was sure so it must be something else. Maybe he was feeling protective because she was so innocent that even he backed off… backed off his tricks, I mean. Maybe he just considered that since he could not have fun with her… make fun of her I mean, no one could. To his jaded eyes, the holding hands and the kissing, (really it was more a peck on the hands, but he did not care, a kiss was a kiss), meant having fun and he was annoyed because if he could not have fun earlier, I mean, pull off his prank successfully, how come Yukimura could!


	9. Meeting the Rikkai Regulars: Part Five

_Disclaimer: I don't own The Prince of Tennis._

_Author:_ **abc** _thanks for your review. I will try and update as often as I can. I am so happy that you like this story! _**The next words**_ are for everyone else, this chapter is short because I had to split it into two chapters so the next one will come as soon as I finish proof reading it. Cheers!_

**Chapter Nine: Meeting the Rikkai Regulars (Part Five)**

Yanagi was having a wonderful day. His mind was filled with happy little angels of data singing and blowing horns. All that new data to be noted down and recorded. Oh, the joy of tennis and being in the tennis club with all these interesting people from whom he could collect data from.

He noted down everything at a ferocious rate; from Bunta, Jackal and Akaya's stupid looks down to Niou's clenched fists and slightly narrowed eyes.

He was so ecstatic that his brain was even more active than usual, though no one would notice his strange mood because he was excellent at keeping a poker face. He had hoped that Akaya would provide him with new data but this was too good to be true.

Who would have guessed that Yukimura Seiichi, the reserved, gentle but aloof Yukimura Seiichi, would have the potential to be a sweetheart, a heart-throb, no, a prince of love!

Yanagi finished that last bit and realized that he might have been a bit too flowery in his language, most unlike his usual self. Second thought told him that it was not every day that you get so much interesting data so he was entitled to his little fit of weirdness.

He looked up from his musings and saw that Sanada had gently put Sakuno's foot back on the ground with his jacket under it so it would not get scratched by the rough ground.

Yukimura, not realizing he had caused such excitement for his friends, released Sakuno's hand, patted her on the knee and stood up. He then told Yagyuu to check Sakuno's bandages to see if they were still in place. Akaya heard and inwardly groaned, "So they did notice the bunny stand up…"

Sanada mumbled to Bunta and Jackal to stay with Sakuno and Yagyuu while he had a 'talk' with the cocky Junior Ace. Then he took hold of Akaya's ear, pulled and twisted; his strength enabling him to dislodge Akaya from the bench and he dragged the younger boy after him.

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Yukimura did not do anything to stop him. He may be gentle but he had a strict sense of honor and honor told him that Akaya, who should have been watching over Sakuno, allowed her to be in danger of worsening her injury. Thus he must be punished for his lapse.

Yanagi, on the other hand, was alarmed that after Sanada was through with him, Akaya would no longer be able to tell him anything.

He hurried to catch up with the annoyed Emperor and the yelping Junior Ace, hoping to rescue Akaya before Sanada started whatever it was that he was about to do.

Certainly, Yanagi also thought that Akaya should be punished because data-collecting-maniac that he was, he did not want to harm the little girl. However he thought that the punishing could wait but Akaya's memory could not.

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He reached them just as Sanada was dragging Akaya around to the back of the changing rooms. Yanagi noticed absentmindedly that at this distance and with the wind blowing the other way, it was unlikely that Sakuno would be able to hear any sound that Akaya made.

Then it hit him, the revelation that the others' behavior around Sakuno was unconsciously rubbing off on Sanada! Normally, Sanada would just yell at Akaya in front of everyone or would have directly given him a sharp slap on the face. It had happened before even in formal matches in front of other schools.

This time, he was actually taking care to drag Akaya away out of hearing distance, just so that Sakuno would not be distressed. Yanagi was truly surprised now but he pushed this bit of new data to the back of his mind because he needed to rescue Akaya first.

He caught hold of Sanada's hand just as it was about to descend onto Akaya's cheek. Yanagi shook his head and whispered in Sanada's ears, "Let me handle this, Genichirou."

With those words, he released Sanada's hand with both Sanada and Akaya looking at him in surprise.

In all these years, he had never interfered with Sanada's ways of discipline. Therefore Sanada, angry though he was, stepped back and said, "I'll go see if the girl is alright."

Yanagi nodded at him and when Sanada disappeared round the corner, he turned to Akaya, who was looking at him warily. Yanagi said dryly, "I told you to talk to her so she would forget about her injuries. It seemed you succeeded too well; she actually stood up."

Akaya just glared at him in his insolent way. Yanagi ignored him and continued, "I want to know what it was that you said to Ryuzaki to cause her to 'literally' forget her injuries and stand up in such a hurry."

Akaya thought for a moment, then decided that it would be in his best interests to answer, "I was asking her why'd she cry back then and said that buchou was upset because he thought that he made her cry. The bunny… Sakuno got upset and said she wasn't crying because of buchou but because she was worried about Niou-senpai and Bunta-senpai. I said it looked more like buchou made her cry to the rest of us and she wanted to explain to buchou and stood up so suddenly that I couldn't catch her. I didn't know she would be so silly that she would forget about her ankle. If I'd know, I would've kept my mouth shut, honest."

Yanagi believed him because he knew Akaya was too proud to lie, so he nodded slowly. "I believe you and I'll talk to Genichirou and Seiichi for you. However, you will have to do something for Ryuzaki, whether she wants you to or not. Otherwise, no matter what I say, Genichirou will insist on giving you special training and Seiichi will agree."

Akaya looked relieved and not so sullen. He could not believe that he was let off so lightly.

He did not smirk his usual smirk as he answered, "Sure, even if senpai hadn't said anything, I'd still take care of her." Inwardly he thought to himself, "She's my bunny after all."

Yanagi was pleased; he got some new data, he had an excuse to let Akaya off because after Akaya's explanation, he felt that the situation was more an accident than anything really to do with Akaya's lapse. Moreover, he was now feeling slightly guilty about the fact that he had a part in letting Akaya near Ryuzaki.

If not, he would not have cared less if Sanada had really thrashed Akaya. It was not as if he had never been thrashed anyway, usually by Yukimura, Sanada or Yanagi himself during a practice match.


	10. Meeting the Rikkai Regulars: Last Part

_Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis does not belong to me._

**Chapter Ten: Meeting the Rikkai Regulars (Last Part)**

They went back to the side-bench where everyone was gathered. Yagyuu was just standing up as they walked near.

Yagyuu said coolly, "The bandage was tight enough but your ankle is still very swollen. When you get home tonight, put some more ice on it just in case. I think Amano-sensei would have told you but I want you to make sure you remember to do it. With your ankle like that, you should not have stood up on both feet and so heavily too."

He was not loud or harsh but so reasonable that Sakuno felt chastised all the same. She hung her head, her braids swinging by the sides of her face, "G-gomen-nasai, Yagyuu-senpai, I-I forgot that my ankle was hurt." She could feel the blood rushing to her face at her foolishness.

Yagyuu's eyes were hidden behind his glasses but he was surprised. After all, he had not expected this answer. However, not being an overly curious person, he did not press her to explain.

Instead, he knelt in front of her again and lifted her chin with his long and beautifully-shaped fingers. As a gentleman, he should never have said anything to induce such shame in a girl like Sakuno and for that he was about to make amends.

"Look at me, Ryuzaki-san." He commanded quietly in his cultured voice.

Sakuno looked at him with some trepidation.

Yagyuu said softly, "I am not scolding you. I was just worried that your ankle would get worse. A lady should always take care of her body because it is very precious and beautiful. Do you understand, Ryuzaki-san?"

Sakuno looked a bit puzzled but she answered in her obedient manner, "H-hai, Yagyuu-senpai…"

Yagyuu smiled gently, "Yosh, good girl." Then he released her chin and stood up.

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As soon as he left to pack his racket into his tennis bag, Bunta hopped in front of Sakuno.

He had already gotten the cakes Sakuno had made him out of his bag and was munching happily. He was even so gracious as to offer Jackal one but Jackal said that he would be fine, thank you very much.

"Sakuno-chan, do you want a cake? It might make you feel better." Bunta always felt better after he had something to eat.

Sakuno giggled at Bunta's face; it was stuffed with cakes. She wondered out loud how he managed to speak so clearly with all the cakes in his mouth.

Bunta blinked, "Well, I never thought about it… probably practice." He was not too concerned about things like that; it made life so much easier. Sakuno giggled again at his answer. Really she was most easy to please.

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Around them, everyone was starting to pack up their rackets and the tennis balls. All of them knew that practice for today was officially over.

Yukimura was wondering as he was picking up tennis balls and hitting them into the basket whether he should take Sakuno home or maybe someone else should. After finding out that she was on such good terms with his sister, he had unconsciously put her in his 'someone to protect' category.

Niou and Akaya were both thinking the same thing but for slightly different reasons. They were not aware of each other as they made their way to Yukimura. However, as he looked up and saw them, he said, "Niou, Akaya, what brings you together?"

Niou and Akaya glanced at each other and both decided to ignore Yukimura's comment. Niou said, "I…" while Akaya spoke up at the same time, "Buchou…"

They glared at each other while Yukimura stifled a small grin, "What is it, Niou?" He was not ignoring Akaya on purpose but Niou was elder of the two after all.

Niou smirked at Akaya and answered shortly, "I just wanted to tell you that I am taking Sakuno home on my bike."

Akaya frowned, "Niou-senpai, you don't have to bother because I am taking her home. It's my responsibility that she worsened her injury after all. Besides she's my pet."

Yukimura would have smiled at their words except for Akaya's last comment, "Pet, Akaya?" Akaya turned back to Yukimura and boldly explained, "She reminds me of a bunny so she's my bunny now."

Niou and Yukimura did not know what to make of this so they decided to pretend that Akaya did not say anything.

Yukimura, always the peace-maker, aside from anything to do with tennis that is, sighed and said, "You can both take her home. That way, there will be two of you to watch over her and explain to her family what happened. Ask Yagyuu if he can come with you. He deals better with parents and such than you two."

For all his faults, not that people say he had them, but he was human after all, stupidity was not of them and he knew very well the kind of impression Niou and Akaya usually gave.

Insolent would be too mild to describe their air of arrogance and pride; though arrogance would more be Akaya's image but Niou's was not much better. No matter how he hid it, his canniness and mischievousness could be seen too clearly.

Niou and Akaya wanted to argue but with Sanada looking their way, they knew better.

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In the end, Yagyuu agreed to come along to be a spokesman. Bunta insisted on joining them, saying that these guys would scare Sakuno-chan and he dragged Jackal along because they were partners, Bunta said.

It did not make much sense to Jackal but he had been partners with Bunta too to bother arguing a bound-to-lose argument with him.

Sakuno did not really want such a large group with her. Even though they had been very kind to her, they were very tall and as a result, rather intimidating in her eyes. Bunta was slightly better because there was no way he could look scary with his cakes and later bubble-gum. Also he was shorter than the other players.

On the way, Niou carried Sakuno on his back because he could not ride his bike with the others walking. He made Akaya push his bike, which he did unwillingly. The rest of the group also put their bags together with Sakuno's onto the bike, on purpose of course, just to annoy Akaya.

Sakuno took pity on Akaya and asked him if he needed help,although she could not really helpbut she could not just leave him like that.

The regulars already had some idea of her soft-heartedness and so they were quick to reassure her before Akaya could say anything that 'Akaya was actually very strong despite him being so lean' and 'he needed the training' and 'he was very pleased to do it' and such nonsense.

It was as much to annoy the Junior Ace as it was to make Sakuno feel better.

She was not so stupid as to really believe all that but since they said it and Akaya did not protest, except for his expression, she did not ask him again.

Thus, just like that, our merry company made their merry way to Sakuno's house beneath the dusky sky with the first star twinkling down at them.

**The End… **

Of Part One only, so don't shoot!


	11. A Sunday at the Cafe: Part One

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis._

**Part Two**

**Chapter 11: A Sunday at the Café (Part One)**

It was a beautiful sunny day when Yukimura Seiichi woke up. He looked out the window and wondered if Miyu, his sister, would like to go shopping or do something together since their parents were away. Since he entered senior high, the amount of time he spent with Miyu had lessened considerably and he missed that. They were so close and he could still remember Miyu in nappies, running after him with a tennis racket in their garden.

He went downstairs and heated some milk to drink. Since his collapse when he was in junior high, he had gotten very careful about his eating habits because he did not want to spend any more time in the hospital while his friends were training and going to matches.

He thought that Miyu would probably be still asleep so he was surprised when he heard her running down the stairs. That was somewhat unexpected because she never got up until at least twelve o'clock on Sundays.

He looked up to see her fully dressed, with a bag slung over her shoulder. Seiichi raised his eyebrows, "Are you going somewhere, Miyu?" Miyu looked at her brother and smiled, "Ohaiyou, Onii-san. Yes, I'm meeting Renji-niisan soon, so I have to run. Bye!"

With that, she ran out the door, leaving her brother reeling from her words in confusion. Meeting Renji on a Sunday morning? Were they dating? Would Miyu be marrying Renji? What should he do? Should he be congratulating them?

With thoughts of various natures running rampant in his mind, Seiichi started to pace around the living room.

He mumbled under his breath, "Maybe I should call Genichirou; maybe he would know what to do? No, knowing him, he would just say something like, as long as it does not affect the team, he doesn't care. What about Hiroshi? No, he would tell me to wait until they announce it on their own. Jackal? No…"

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While Yukimura was thinking all sorts of silly thoughts about Miyu and Yanagi, she was hurrying towards a roadside café where she was meeting Yanagi and his friend, Inui.

As we can see, it was not a date as Yukimura had thought so mistakenly. She saw the two already sitting at a table with their drinks in front of them. They were under a canopy of some sort that was stuck onto the table giving them some shade from the bright sun.

Miyu sat down and greeted them, "Ohaiyou, Renji-niisan, and Inui-san." The two nodded coolly to her. Miyu rolled her eyes. "Alright, before anything else, I need food."

She ordered a huge breakfast and a large orange juice. She did not even bother to look at the price because she definitely did not believe in equality when it came to paying bills and going to the movies and shopping and anything else that included money.

While she was waiting for her order, she started to talk about the main point of their meeting. "So, Inui-san, what have you found out about Sakuno when she was at Seigaku?"

Inui cleared his throat and took out his trusty notebook, "Well, I found out quite a lot of things. First, I found out that she started going out with Echizen in the first week of the term when they both came up into Seigaku Senior High.

Second, they ate lunch together most of the time with some other of their friends, three boys who are not important to the facts at hand, so I will leave out their names. However, the girl who is… was Ryuzaki's friend, called Osakada Tomoka is important to the facts at hand.

Third, she was also very much in love with Echizen since the first year of junior high.

Fourth, the day of the accident, Ryuzaki was supposed to be home because she was sick. However, she was seen at school going to the rooftop where she was told by fellow classmates that she would find Echizen. Later I found out from Momo who found out from Echizen that he was kissing Osakada on the rooftop that day.

Therefore, the most likely scenario would be this: Ryuzaki went up to the rooftop while they were kissing; she was shocked and she ran away, then got hit by the car and was sent to hospital.

After she was released from the hospital, she was sent to Kanagawa immediately because Ryuzaki-sensei found out about Echizen's betrayal and did not want Ryuzaki the younger to see him again."

He took a deep drink and continued, "Now, the facts that remain are these, Ryuzaki has lost parts of her memory, most of it to do with tennis and the Seigaku tennis club. Echizen has tried to find out where Ryuzaki is from sensei but without success.

My sources have told me that he no longer has contact with Osakada. I have observed him at practice and his recent games have been most vicious which I conclude as an effect of his distress over Ryuzaki's disappearance.

Now, Yukimura-chan, you say that Ryuzaki is very happy at Rikkai Dai and that she is very friendly with the regulars there, is that correct?"

Miyu nodded, "The boys take really good care of her. Right, Renji-niisan?"

Yanagi agreed, "They do take care of Ryuzaki. When she sprained her ankle and had to go to the san to change bandages everyday for two weeks, either one or two of them would go with her and Miyu. Mostly it was Niou, Akaya or Bunta. Sometimes Yukimura, Jackal or Yagyuu would go too."

Inui was writing that all down while Miyu thought that these two really were friends because earlier when Inui was speaking, Yanagi was doing the same thing. Inui opened his mouth and was about to say something when some one put a hand on his shoulder.

He looked up and saw Fuji Syusuke smiling down at him. "I was sitting behind you when I couldn't help but overhear what you were saying, Inui, may I join you?" Fuji asked but sat down next to Inui anyway.

Inui asked him, "What are you doing in Kanagawa, Fuji?"

Fuji told the waiter to bring his order to this table and then, he turned to Inui and said, "I was visiting some relatives yesterday and stayed the night. I was going to have something to eat before going back to Tokyo but how fortunate that I met you here."

He was smiling in his harmless way but Inui knew him well enough to know that he was as harmless as a lion and cunning as a fox under that gentle façade.

Still he thought Fuji might be able to help fix this mess that was Echizen and Ryuzaki. He would have added Osakada but ultimately she did not affect Echizen like Ryuzaki so he dismissed her.

Miyu's food arrived at that moment together with Fuji's food and the two started to eat.

In between bites, Miyu filled in Fuji on how she met Sakuno and what happened after she sprained her ankle.

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It appeared that Yukimura had told his sister about Sakuno that very night, knowing they were friends. Initially, Miyu was so angry that she told her brother to tell the stupid regulars never to go near Sakuno again.

The next day, she changed her mind, more because of practicality than anything else because she realized that even after Sakuno had got her crutches, she was so clumsy that she would take two steps and then the crutch would somehow either slip by itself or her left foot, the not injured one, would trip over the crutch and she would fall.

Miyu was a strong girl but she could not carry their books and support Sakuno at the same time. If they change classrooms, they would have classmates to help them but other times, they found it very difficult to go anywhere and by the end of the day, Sakuno was in tears because she was so guilty of burdening Miyu.

Miyu did not mind but she told Sakuno that she would think of something so they could get around.

That night, Miyu went to her brother and told him to order his regulars to help carry Sakuno around during lunch so they could go to the san quickly and still have time to eat and relax.

Yukimura was used to her high-handed ways because he was the one who spoilt her so much that she turned out that way. He promised that they would help; it was their fault to begin with anyway, no matter what Sakuno said.

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True to his word, the next day at lunchtime, Miyu found two of the regulars outside the door of their classroom. She just did not expect these two. It was Sanada and Niou. She then realized that it made sense.

The regulars were very popular among the girls in their school and if they helped Sakuno, she might be bullied despite Miyu's protection.

However, by sending the two most formidable of the regulars first to show that she was under their protection, no one would dare touch her. Miyu reminded herself to congratulate her brother on being so smart.

Niou carried Sakuno to the san that day and Miyu was struck by how gentle he was with Sakuno, as well as how comfortable Sakuno was with him.

She was also not scared of Sanada and that was really weird because he scared her when they first met in junior high. She remembered that she hid behind Yukimura until Sanada handed her a lollipop to show that he was harmless.

To her mortification now, it had worked and for a while, she had trailed after Sanada every time she saw him, much like Bunta trailing after Sakuno now.


	12. A Sunday at the Cafe: Part Two

_Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis does not belong to me._

**Chapter Twelve: A Sunday at the Café (Part Two)**

**Miyu's flashback while she was eating continued:**

In the days that followed, she observed Sakuno with the regulars and came to realize that the regulars treated her differently from other girls.

She liked the boys because she spent so much time around them that they were like brothers to her and she had always thought they needed something other than tennis in their lives. Miyu thought that she now knew what it was that they needed. They needed a more gentle influence in their lives; someone for them to protect and to relax around.

Tennis at Rikkai Dai was always competitive and stressful. She knew very well that they could handle stress but she also knew that when they go into university, it would be a different situation even if they go on playing tennis.

They would have to think of their future and not all of them would choose to be professionals. They also needed some other memories of their high school because now that she thought about it. All of her brother's memories were centered on training, matches, more matches and much more training.

She thought that they really needed to get a life outside tennis and Sakuno may be the answer.

She may be shy and quiet but she was so caring to other people that it was very easy to warm to her. In short, she was a very motherly and more importantly, she was all feminine and that would definitely appeal to the rough and tough tennis players that she had known for so long.

She decided then and there to play matchmaker to her poor 'brothers'.

To be serious, she did not really care if Sakuno did not choose any of them; she just wanted them to have some softer influence in their lives and secretly, she also wanted to have a bit of fun and a chance to truly be friends with Sakuno.

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She was so sure of her scheme that she started to think about possible pairings with Sakuno.

From what she could see, Niou and Akaya both fight and argue a lot for Sakuno's attention. They did not do it in front of her though. She knew about their bickering because Yukimura and Yanagi had told her.

When Niou was with Sakuno, he was rough with his speech as if he did not really care if she talked to him or not, but he was always very gentle in his body language. The way he carried her in his arms; the way he helped her with her crutches; the way he made sure that there was nothing on the ground that might trip her.

She smiled inwardly to herself when she thought of one incident. Two boys were talking loudly along the corridor and they did not notice the petite girl as she hobbled slowly. They bumped into her and did not turn back to apologize but went on their merry way.

Sakuno lost her balance and would have fallen if Miyu had not been there. She would have yelled at the boys if not for the appearance of Niou round the corner.

He noticed them and immediately came round to help Sakuno. Of course he noticed that Miyu was fuming and would want to know why. Miyu told him and he did not say anything.

Later that day, Miyu heard from her friends in another class that there were two guys who were stripped naked and found hanging upside down in the big oak tree near the bicycle stands. They were bound from head to toe with ropes and looked much like a cocoon.

Everyone guessed who it was that had done the deed but no one spoke up and certainly the two poor chaps did not. Miyu had thought to herself, "Well done, Niou-senpai."

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Akaya was another strange one around Sakuno.

He did not just call her Sakuno. He insisted on calling her Saku-no-bunny. (It roughly translates into 'flower of bunny' because 'saku' in Japanese can mean 'blossom' and 'no' can mean 'of'.)

He also loved to pull her long braids. Sakuno tried to stop him every time and every time he would say, "Okay, Saku-no-bunny!" and pull on her braids again.

Miyu would have said that it was just Akaya being his usual self except for the carefree, almost happy expression on his face. It was not insolent or smirking or arrogant but pure joy.

Moreover, it was actually very mild teasing if one was talking about Akaya. He could hit a girl and not be remorseful. To him, the world revolved around Kirihara Akaya and that was it.

Besides Sakuno seemed to be happy when she was with Akaya because sometimes she would be worried after a difficult lesson of… say, mathematics, and nothing Miyu said could cheer her up totally.

Then Akaya would appear and start pulling on her braids and holding out carrot-shaped candy, saying, "Yo, Saku-no-bunny, do you want some carrots?" Sakuno would look exasperated and say, "Mou, Akaya-senpai, I am not a bunny and I don't want carrots."

He would go on teasing her and feeding her candy anyway. Pretty soon, Sakuno would forget all about her earlier worries and would be smiling again. Miyu was somewhat jealous of Akaya's ability to cheer up her friend but she was never one to dwell on things like these and as long as Sakuno was happy, she was happy.

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Sometimes during break, Sanada would pass by their classroom and he would always drop in to greet the two girls.

In the beginning, he would not stay long, just asking after Sakuno's ankle and Miyu's recent tennis progress. Then he started to come more often and stayed longer.

Miyu thought that the turning point in the interaction between Sanada and Sakuno was the time when Miyu was just popping to the toilet and Sakuno was alone. When she returned she saw some girls around Sakuno. From the nasty expressions on their faces, she could tell they were ganging on Sakuno.

She would have rushed in except Sanada was there already. He had said in his stern, arrogant baritone, "What are you doing to her?"

The girls backed off from his glare which Miyu knew to be most frightening. They said of course that they were only being friendly but since Sakuno's eyes were wet, no one believed them.

Sanada did not even bother to raise his voice, "Don't let me know that you have been bothering Sakuno again. I won't be so kind the next time." Miyu dropped out of sight as the group of girls ran out of the classroom, frightened by the Emperor's blatant threat.

She thought they had it easy because if Niou or Akaya had been there, they would have been in serious trouble. After they were gone, she peeked into the classroom again. It was now silent; no one dared to speak because they were all watching the drama. Miyu did not begrudge them because it was a sight to be remembered.

Sanada knelt in front of Sakuno, took out his handkerchief and gently dapped at Sakuno's tears. He was whispering something to her in a very quiet voice and Miyu did not hear what he said. She was so annoyed that she almost called out, "Speak up!"

Thankfully she did not because the next thing she knew, Sakuno was giggling at what Sanada had said.

The people in the room had eyes as wide as saucers now. Sanada was telling a joke to a first year girl! This was to be the latest gossip that day.

Miyu wanted so badly to go back to the room but she was wary of breaking the gentle, unfortunately not romantic, mood the two had between them. Therefore she hid until the bell rang and Sanada got up and left. Then she pretended she just returned from the toilet.

Luckily, innocent Sakuno did not think twice about telling her of Sanada's chivalry.

Miyu suspected that if she did not fear Sanada before, now she even found him to be friendly and kind while most people, if they dared, would have scoffed at her for thinking that.

From that incident on, Sanada would drop in more often and they would chat until he had to go.

Miyu was skeptical about whether he would have dropped in if there was only Miyu there but one did not ask the Emperor questions like that so she kept it to herself and instead used her eyes and ears, as well as her brain when he was around Sakuno.

Her patience paid off and she would see the stern lines of Sanada's face soften slightly and when they talked, they would not be talking about tennis only.

In fact, Sakuno would ramble on about a light subject that she had shared with Miyu earlier and was now sharing with Sanada, treating him with the same friendliness that she showed Miyu.

Miyu guessed that he discovered it was relaxing to be around Sakuno because she never demanded anything from him.

She was not after his brains, his skill with tennis or even his friendship, although Miyu was sure that Sakuno had already considered him a friend in her mind. She would be too humble to say that she was friends with the Emperor of course but Miyu could tell because Sakuno was very much at ease when they were together.


	13. A Sunday at the Cafe: Part Three

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Prince of Tennis.**

**Author's Note:** _People have been asking about Ryuzaki Sumire, the Obaa-chan of Sakuno. There are some things that I want to point out._ **Rikkai Dai is situated in Kanakawa and not Tokyo where Seigaku is. Therefore, Sakuno is not living with her grandmother in this story because she is in Kanagawa and not Tokyo.**_ Kanagawa is a prefecture and it is a part of the Kanto region. I say again, Tokyo and Kanagawa are separate. I got the above information from the Wikipeida website if anyone is interested._

**Chapter Thirteen: A Sunday at the Café (Part Three)**

Miyu drank some orange juice as she continued to fill in Fuji with what happened in the last two weeks while Sakuno's ankle was healing.

Fuji was a very attentive audience and never once interrupted her, even when she was thinking about the details and had stopped talking.

She did not tell him everything of course. She did not know him and did not want to give away too many of her observations to a stranger though he looked pretty friendly.

However being friends with the Rikkai regulars had taught her that appearances could be misleading like in Yanagi's case or even her brother's.

They looked harmless and friendly but actually their minds could be thinking so many things and not all of them pleasant and you would never know from the smiles on their faces, exactly like the one Fuji was wearing now.

Therefore she only told him the general facts between bites while she continued to think back on the more interesting bits and pieces.

As she drank her orange juice, she suddenly remembered one of the more interesting bits and pieces. It was something that happened with Bunta and Sakuno a few days ago.

It was still a hilarious incident now that she thought about it.

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**Miyu's flashback while she was eating continued:**

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"Sakuno-chan!" Called a jolly voice that belonged to a boy with a head of bright red hair.

It was Marui Bunta and today was his turn to escort Sakuno and Miyu to the san.

Miyu called back, just as cheerfully and even more loudly, "Bun-chan!"

She knew this would annoy Bunta to no end and she was right.

He immediately stopped and looked around to see if anyone else had heard her. The area appeared to be deserted and he let out a sigh in relief.

He stamped over and said, "Miyu, I told you not to call me Bun-chan! You should be more respectful and call me Marui-senpai!"

Miyu gave him a mock salute and said, "Hai-hai, Bun-chan!"

Sakuno giggled, "Mou, Miyu-chan, Bunta-senpai, you two always have this conversation at least once each time we meet."

Miyu grinned at her while Bunta looked at Sakuno in defeat. He said, "Yeah, well, anyway, let's go."

Then he brightened and said, "Let me give you a piggy-back ride today, Sakuno-chan!" With that, he swept Sakuno onto his back so quickly that she gasped and dropped her crutch right onto Bunta's foot.

He yelped and nearly dropped Sakuno. He did not in the end but Sakuno was so apologetic that he told her it did not hurt at all and he was just surprised, that was all.

Miyu was facing him and she almost laughed when she saw the tears at the corners of his eyes. The crutch must have hit a toe or somewhere equally painful for him to want to cry.

They set off with Miyu holding the crutch. She reckoned that Bunta had originally wanted to run with Sakuno on his back but now that his foot was so painful, he was forced to walk.

After a while, he asked if Sakuno could get his bubble-gum out of his shirt pocket because he wanted to have some. Sakuno agreed readily and leaned over his shoulder to reach his shirt pocket.

Bunta suddenly stopped and turned bright red in the face.

Sakuno had not noticed and thought that he was being considerate because she could not see clearly over his shoulder and was still trying to find his shirt pocket. Miyu, on the other hand, could see perfectly well and her eyes narrowed as she guessed the reason for Bunta's sudden blush.

She thought that Sakuno was a small girl; it appeared that she was only half right. Sakuno was still a girl and had all the right equipment in the right places.

Miyu motioned to Bunta and glared at him to let him know that she knew he was blushing, along with the reason why, i.e. Sakuno's front was pressed very tightly against Bunta's back and while she did not notice, concentrating on finding the shirt pocket, Bunta certainly did.

Bunta widened his eyes and he saw a bench near them. He went over to the bench very quickly and set Sakuno down, saying that he did not want the bubble-gum after all but was feeling thirsty and was going to get something to drink and would be really be quick.

Without waiting for an answer, he dashed off.

Sakuno looked surprised but Miyu told her that he was like that sometimes and do not worry about it.

After a while, Bunta came back, with some packets of juice and a dripping wet face.

Sakuno asked him if he was very hot.

Miyu was smirking and holding a hand out for juice. Bunta gave her one without a word and since he did not say anything, she knew that it was his way of telling her to keep quiet. Miyu shrugged as she took the juice; she was not a gossip anyway.

Bunta gave one to Sakuno as well.

It was a packet of orange juice and Sakuno inserted the straw into the hole.

Unfortunately, as she was inserting the straw, she squeezed the packet too tightly and juice squirted out of the straw all over her. She was soaked in sticky orange juice and some bits of her uniform plastered itself to her skin.

Bunta choked on his drink and Miyu stared. It appeared that Sakuno was not so small after all.

Sakuno was saying, "Mou, I did it again. Obaa-chan always told me to be careful."

She got a handkerchief out of her pocket and started to clean herself up as much as she could. Miyu came out of her stare and quickly got some tissues and helped to wipe her down.

She was still keeping an eye on Bunta though. He was bright red again and drinking his drink for all it was worth and looking at everywhere but them.

Miyu thought that he was acting like a freaking virgin but for she knew, he might be one. She suddenly had an evil idea. Well, it was also a practical idea but she knew that it was also to do with the fact that she would find it amusing.

She told Bunta that she was going back to the classroom and get Sakuno's sports' uniform so she could change out of her sticky clothes. She then told Bunta to keep an eye on Sakuno and make sure no one came near her while she was gone.

When Bunta heard the 'keep an eye on her' bit, his eyes nearly popped out of his head and his jaws moved to protest but nothing came out. It did not matter anyway because Miyu was gone.

Actually Miyu was hiding around the corner of the corridor. She had used her phone to call a classmate to get Sakuno's sports' uniform for her, so she could stay and spy on the pair. She congratulated herself for being a smart cookie and thanked whoever it was that invented mobile phones.

As she looked on, Bunta was facing Sakuno with his face staring at the ceiling and Sakuno was peering up at him, trying to see his face.

Miyu saw Sakuno say something and she saw her pull on Bunta's hand.

Miyu giggled silently to herself, knowing Sakuno, she probably would be thinking that Bunta was sick or something and would want to look at him properly. She was keeping her laughter in with difficulty but somehow managed not to laugh out loud; she did not want to miss the drama.

Just as she thought, she saw Bunta squat down with his eyes looking away from Sakuno; he must be really embarrassed.

Sakuno said something but Miyu could not hear. She then saw Sakuno put her hand on Bunta forehead.

Miyu said to herself, "So, she thought Bun-chan might have a fever." Apparently, Sakuno could not tell whether he had a fever or not because she then pulled Bunta closer and rested her forehead against his forehead.

Bunta's eyes turned towards her in shock and the close-up view of Sakuno was obviously too much for the hot-blooded young man because the next thing Miyu saw was blood trickling out of his nostrils and he was falling back in a dead faint.

Miyu knew that Sakuno would be worried and distressed but she could not help it. She ran further away from the corner and started laughing hysterically. She even had tears of mirth running down his cheeks; that scene was like something from a manga, it was so hilarious.

After some time, Miyu managed to stop laughing and got the sports' uniform from her classmate. She then bit the inside of her cheeks and smoothed her expression so she could walk back to Sakuno with a calm expression on her face.

It was just her luck that she met Yagyuu coming along her way; she immediately got him to come along with her, saying that she needed help because Bunta was being an idiot.

In the end, Yagyuu called Niou so one of them could help Sakuno and Miyu while the other carried the unconscious but still blushing Bunta to the san.

Sakuno never did figure out why after his faint on the corridor, Bunta would turn red every time he saw her and have this extremely embarrassed look on his face. Miyu knew, of course, but I think she wisely chose not to enlighten her.


	14. A Sunday at the Cafe: Part Four

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis._

**Chapter Fourteen: A Sunday at the Café (Part Four)**

"Is something wrong, Yukimura-chan?" Fuji Syusuke asked as Miyu spaced out while she was thinking of the Orange Juice Incident as she now called it.

With a start, Miyu looked at Fuji and smiled, "Huh? Oh, no, please don't mind, I was just thinking. Now, where was I? Oh, yes, we were talking about Sakuno when she finally managed to use her crutches without tripping over too much."

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**Miyu's flashback while she was eating continued:**

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Sakuno was finally able to hobble properly with her crutches without anyone supporting her. She was so happy about it that she showed Miyu several times, going up and down the corridor.

Miyu was amused at how child-like Sakuno was.

That afternoon, they went to tennis practice and while Miyu changed into her uniform, Yamamoto Reika came up to Sakuno.

"How's your ankle, Ryuzaki?" the girls' buchou asked. Sakuno answered respectfully, "Amano-sensei said that the bandages can come off in a few days time and then, I can start practicing again, Reika-buchou!"

She really liked Reika because of her understanding about her hurt ankle and during these two weeks, when Sakuno turned up for practice along with Miyu, Reika would let her sit at one side and read theory books on tennis that she had collected herself.

Reika grinned, pleased, "Cool, make sure that you take care of yourself, kiddie!"

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Now that Sakuno could use her crutches by herself, she was no longer dependent on Miyu to help her go to the toilet when she needed to. She made her way to the toilets closest to the girls' training grounds.

She made it there without tripping but unfortunately, she was concentrating so much on using the crutches properly that she mistook one entrance for the other. We have to remember that while she was not tripping over the crutches, she was still painstakingly slow.

The entrances to the men's toilet and the ladies' toilet were just next to each other and she entered one of them, not looking at the sign properly.

The next thing she knew were screeches of the strangest kind. She absentmindedly thought that screeches were supposed to be something only girls did as she tried to take in what was before her.

When she did, she screamed the loudest of them all and clapped her hands over her flaming face.

It was the most embarrassing moment of her life or so she thought, because just then she felt herself tipping forward. She had forgotten that she was only balanced on one leg for the time being and was about to fall down in the men's toilet.

"Why does it have to be this place of all places?" She thought to herself frantically, not really wanting to fall but even more unwilling to show her face from under her hands.

Thankfully, she was suddenly caught from behind to lean against a solid chest. A steady voice said, "What on earth are you doing?"

Sakuno was so surprised that her hands dropped away from her face and when they did, she screamed again and immediately hid her face.

The person holding her now had a pretty good idea what had happened. She felt him sigh; she could feel his chest against her back rather than actually hearing him amidst the chaos in the toilet.

The person picked her up and carried her outside to a bench nearby. He then left and very soon came back with her crutches.

Sakuno still had her hands stuck to her face; she was mortified and was cowardly hoping that since she could see no one, maybe no one could see her, or maybe it was only a horrid dream that she was going to wake up any moment.

Not a chance when the person took hold of her hands and pried them away, saying, "You're outside now, so don't worry and I don't like talking to hands, Sakuno."

Sakuno lifted her eyes slowly and saw Kuwahara Jackal. He was wearing his regulars' uniform and he looked amused.

Sakuno swallowed and said in a tiny voice, "A-arigatou, Jackal-senpai…" Jackal laughed good-naturedly, "You're lucky that I came along, otherwise you'd have fallen flat on your face!" Sakuno nodded miserably, "I know, senpai. I only wanted to go to the toilet."

Jackal took pity on the girl and let go of her hands. He handed her the crutches and told her, "Go on, I'll wait for you here." Sakuno mumbled a thank you and hobbled as quickly as she could to the right entrance. It was still slow-going and Jackal was thoroughly amused.

He waited for her because he knew that Sakuno might bump into those boys in the toilet earlier. They would most likely harass her after that episode for she was so defenseless.

He was right because very soon a group of boys came out of the toilet andlooked around for something. He called out to them, "Looking for something?"

The boys turned to look at him and they recognized him. One of them said, "Why do you care, Kawahara?"

Jackal raised an eyebrow and his expression turned dangerous; the regulars did not like being challenged in their own school. The boys were intimidated by his look and wisely ran off.

Sakuno came out and hobbled back to him, her head hanging all the way.

Apparently she was still embarrassed. Jackal waited until she reached him and he bent over at the waist; she was so short. "Come on, I'll take you back to the tennis grounds. I remember that there's girls' practice today, right?" Sakuno nodded, lifting her head shyly at his kind and steady tone.

She saw a bright pair of smiling eyes peering at her, "So that's what you look like! You had your head down for so long; I'd almost forgotten your face."

Jackal was hoping to put her at ease. He knew that she was friends with Sanada and it felt strange that she would be shy of him, one of the friendliest regulars, when she was so comfortable around scary Sanada.

Sakuno giggled at his words and she smiled, "Thank you, Jackal-senpai."

As they walked, Jackal used all his conversational skills to try and make Sakuno laugh. He was a naturally friendly person and she was such a sweet little thing that he could not help trying to make her forget her shyness around him.

By the time they reached the courts, she was looking at him without reserve and they were chatting like old friends.

He nodded to Reika when she saw them together, took his leave of Sakuno and ran back to practice, his mind now on the excurse he was about to give.

Later Miyu found out what had happened from Sakuno, who felt she had made a new friend that day. She knew Jackal from before of course, but never had the chance to speak to him like today and his bald head gave him a gangster-appearance in Sakuno's point of view so she had no idea that he was so friendly.

As she described animatedly how surprised and shocked she was, Miyu was stamping her feet in her mind, saying, "How could I have missed it? Oh, it would have been so funny!"

Later that night, she told Yukimura what had happened in the afternoon and he said, "So that was the truth. Jackal told us some cock and bull story about how he had to save a kitten from a tree and got stuck up there. He was a very bad liar and Genichirou was quite angry. Well, he was punished already but it was nice to know that he was really saving someone, only not a kitten and not up a tree."

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The next day, as Sakuno and Miyu made their way to their classroom; they talked about the project they had to do for Japanese. They had to choose a novel each by the same author from a certain period, read them and write about the novels and the author in detail.

They thought they could go to the library at lunchtime after they went to the san. At lunchtime, one of the regulars came to pick them up.

It was Yagyuu Hiroshi today and Miyu greeted him respectfully. He always inspired that in her, "Hiroshi-san, konnichiwa!" Sakuno also greeted him politely, "Konnichiwa, Yagyuu-senpai."

He nodded to them and they went to the san.

Yagyuu did not speak and the two girls continued suggesting what novels they should choose. Yagyuu listened to them and when they mentioned a novel that he had read and enjoyed, he said, "That is a good one, I enjoyed it."

The two girls were surprised and looked at him.

He continued on to describe the novel in some detail, pointing out relevant points.

Miyu thought, grinned and tugged at his sleeve, "Ne, Hiroshi-san, after we're finished at the san, can you help us in the library? We have to do a project for Japanese and you like to read, don't you?"

Yagyuu's glasses flashed at the mention of one of his favorite past-times.

He agreed readily, secretly flattered that they would solicit his help on choosing novels to read. Mostly people only concentrated on his tennis' skills.

Miyu grinned to herself at his answer. Now, fellow readers, from past experiences, do you really think that it was only Yagyuu's expertise on books that Miyu was after?


	15. A Sunday at the Cafe: Part Five

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis. The Japanese author and novels I mentioned below do exist and no, I do not own them. _

_Author's Notes:_ **Abe no Seimei** _was an onmyoji from the 11th century. He was a real person according to historical accounts,but most of the stories told about him were based on myths._ **Yokomizo Seishi** _was a 20th century writer who specializes in detective novels. His greatest and most famous creationwas the detective,_ **Kindaichi Kousuke**.

**Chapter 15: A Sunday at the Café (Part Five)**

**Miyu's flashback while she was eating continued:**

You might find it hard to believe but sometimes people tended not to realize Yagyuu Hiroshi's presence when he was among the group of Rikkai regulars. He might be tall and good-looking but his quiet gentlemanly air was often eclipsed by the bright arrogance of others like Sanada, Akaya and Bunta.

At this moment, however, it would extremely difficult to miss him because he was making his presence known. If I must be plain and honest, he was actually talking a mile a minute.

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After they had been to the san, they slowly, because of Sakuno, made their way to the library.

Along the way, Miyu and Sakuno explained about their Japanese project in detail and Yagyuu started to recommend novels that they might read for it.

He was enjoying himself because he rarely had the chance to talk about his favorite novels with others. Sometimes, he would discuss books with Yanagi but the discussion was always limited to literature because Yanagi only enjoyed reading Japanese literature. Yagyuu, on the other hand, read almost everything but his preferences were mystery and supernatural novels.

He was talking about a series of novels about a famous onmyoji called Abe no Seimei from the 11th century.

Miyu, not being an avid reader, was already spaced. She had tuned him out in the first five minutes, not really wanting to pay attentive to all that book-talk. Besides, her objective was not to listen to him ramble on about this novel or that novel but something else.

Sakuno was listening with interest until Yagyuu started to describe some of the demons and monsters that Seimei had fought with. Then she started to look a bit green in the face.

Yagyuu was describing a particularly nasty, though exciting, adventure of Seimei's when he glanced at his companions.

He stopped and turned to look at Sakuno.

Miyu, he just ignored, knowing that she was thinking about something else already; the spaced-out look she had on her face was the exactly the same one that Yukimura sometimes wore during a boring History lesson - blank.

"Ryuzaki-san, was I disturbing you with all the monsters talk?" His face was expressionless as he looked at Sakuno, his eyes hidden by his glasses.

Sakuno lowered her eyes, not really wanting to answer because she thought it was rather rude of her when he was being considerate and kind in helping them with their project. She did not know that Miyu was not listening at all.

Yagyuu lifted her chin so she was facing him directly and asked again.

This time Sakuno, looking slightly ashamed, answered, "Uh… h-hai, Yagyuu-senpai. G-gomen-nasai, I really enjoyed hearing about Abe no Seimei but I think I am a bit scared of the monsters."

Yagyuu let go of her chin and pushed his glasses up, a sure sign that he was not comfortable, although you could never tell from his face.

"I am sorry, Ryuzaki-san, I forget that one should not talk about monsters in the company of a lady." He did not really think of Miyu as a lady since he remembered her when she was about eleven and more like a boy than a girl.

He went on, "You should have told me when you did not like what I was saying, Ryuzaki-san."

Sakuno bit her lip and thought, "Oh no, Yagyuu-senpai sounds so stern. I wonder if he is angry." She thought whether she should apologize again but she saw that Yagyuu was not paying attention.

He was thinking about what other novels that might not disturb the gentle sensibilities of Sakuno. Sakuno looked at him, immobile with his chin resting on his hand, as he thought.

Suddenly, he looked down at Sakuno again. The action was so sudden that Sakuno gasped softly.

The gasp brought Miyu out of her 'space' and she looked around, "What? What?"

The other two looked at her. Miyu grinned sheepishly, "Oh, sorry, I spaced out; Hiroshi-san was so long-winded when he was talking about that novel… I forgot the name."

Yagyuu was slightly annoyed at this younger sister of Yukimura but he did not show it. How dare she dismiss the interesting novels he was talking about so easily?

However, he ignored her, not wanting to get angry at a little girl though rude she may be, and turned back to Sakuno. "Ryuzaki-san, I think I have the exact author that you can write about. He is a highly respected author with plenty of information that you will be able to find. There are no monsters in his work, so you don't have to worry."

Miyu cut in, seemingly lost after her spacing-out, "Monsters, were you talking about monsters, Hiroshi-san? I should have been listening then! Monsters are cool!"

Yagyuu was irritated now and Miyu could tell, she had known him for three years after all and inwardly giggled. She may respect him but she also found him to be a good source of amusement because he was so serious sometimes, especially about things that he liked.

Sakuno sensed that Yagyuu was not entirely pleased and not wanting him to be angry with Miyu, tried to distract him, "A-ano, Yagyuu-senpai, who is the author you wanted to recommend to us?"

Yagyuu was distracted successfully, "Oh, gomen, Ryuzaki-san, I am sure that you have heard of this author, he is Yokomizo Seishi."

Miyu interrupted again, deliberately, "But, Hiroshi-san, we are doing a literature project, would it be alright? I mean, isn't that guy a detective novel writer? Is that literature?"

Yagyuu, not liking Miyu at all in this moment, said, "Miyu-san, then would you like to suggest someone else?"

Sakuno was distressed now. Miyu was not usually this provocative and she did not understand why she was being like this.

Sakuno said to Miyu softly, "Miyu-chan, I-I think it would be alright because sensei didn't say it has to be literature. Besides Yokomizo Seishi is a respected writer. Obaa-chan sometimes reads his work; she really likes the detective he created – Kindaichi Kousuke, ne."

Miyu pretended to look dubious and said, "Well, if you say so, I guess…"

Yagyuu was hard-pressed not to say what was on his mind, "If you don't trust my judgment, then you should not have asked me in the first place, you brat!"

However, sweet little Sakuno was around and she did not deserve to hear harsh words when she had been so attentive, appreciative and polite.

Instead, he cleared his throat and said, "In that case, it's settled. Let us go on to the library to see if there are any works of Yokomizo-sensei to be borrowed. Even if there are not, I have his entire collection and I can lend them to you."

He was looking at Sakuno when he said, not really wanting to lend anything to Miyu after her dismissal of the value of Yokomizo Seishi's works.

Miyu mentally rolled her eyes; she could tell that Yagyuu was not about to speak to her again if he could help it, at least today anyway.

She did not really care because she had accomplished her initial goal and that was to have Sakuno leave a good image in Yagyuu's mind, a girl that was sincere and polite.

She was confident that both of them now had a positive impression of each other. After all, Miyu was not Yukimura's sister for nothing.

Her gentle brother may be the best out of all the regulars in the tennis club but that was not the only reason he was buchou.

He was buchou because he knew how to manipulate people and she learnt that from him. How to push the right buttons to get a person to react the way she wanted.

She knew that it would be difficult to get under Yagyuu's skin because he was so gentlemanly and calm.

However she also knew that he was extremely protective of the things he loved and therefore, she let Sakuno be the attentive audience, no difficulty about that, and herself be the rude one, no difficulty about that either.

She did not like reading anyway and she could always get Sakuno to tell her about what he had said later.

As she had suspected, Yagyuu's gentleman-beliefs worked in her favor because although he set a high standard of behavior for himself, it also became the standard of behavior for people around him, so it did not take a lot for him to think that a person is rude.

Usually he would ignore it, accepting that not everyone shared his beliefs but when combined with the rude dismissal of his passions, like reading, tennis or golf, then he could be easily irritated.

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Personally, apart from their tennis skills, brains and looks, Miyu did not have a very high opinion of the Rikkai regulars.

They were on the whole, arrogant, proud but also awfully childish. Moreover, they were too into their tennis to notice anything else around them. If they had been so dense, she would not have to become Matchmaker Miyu to help them get a life.

Em… she thought she liked the sound of that: Matchmaker Miyu.

She vowed that if she ever found a boyfriend, she would not have someone like them. They were too strong and obsessive; she wanted someone she could mother, rather like a boy-version of Sakuno maybe.

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For the rest of that lunchtime, Yagyuu totally ignored Miyu and promised to bring some of Yokomizo Seishi's best novels in the next day to lend to Sakuno because the 'crappy' library, as he mentally termed it, did not have a very good collection of Yokomizo Seishi's works.

Sakuno wanted to ask him to lend some to Miyu but she knew that he was not pleased with her so she decided to go to the public library later and borrow some for her friend.

She forgot that she did not know the way to the public library yet because she only moved to this area recently and anyway, it would take her ages to hobble there in her present state even if she did not get lost.

Privately, she enjoyed the afternoon very much, apart from the description of the monsters, Yagyuu was knowledgeable and he made the stories he told her come alive.

She thought that if the novels were as he described, then she would have to find time and read them for they sounded so interesting and alluring.

Later, she reflected to Miyu that, "Yagyuu-senpai was like a magician. He made pictures with his words and it was amazing! I never knew that novels can be so interesting! I can't believe that I thought Yagyuu-senpai to be a stern person in the beginning; he is so funny and considerate!"

Miyu smiled to hear it and was happy for her.


	16. An Incident Not of Miyu's Doing

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis_

**Chapter Sixteen: An Incident Not of Miyu's Doing**

It was during those two weeks that this happened.

In the second week, the day Sakuno had such a nice time with Yagyuu and Miyu during lunchtime, she made up her mind to borrow the novels of Yokomizo Seishi from the public library.

She meant it as a surprise for Miyu, not knowing Miyu did not like reading.

Luckily, that day, there was no tennis practice and Miyu could not go home with her because she had detention for being late in the morning from Sano-sensei. Therefore, after school, she started out the gate, hobbled along for some time thinking that she was finally doing something for her friend instead of it being the other way around.

It did not take long for her to realize that she had no idea where the public library was. She had only moved here recently, directly the day after she left the hospital.

She was now in an area that she did not know and she was worried. Then, she reckoned if she kept on going, she might come across a busier road and then she might see someone to ask directions from.

Although there were houses all along the way she was going, she was not so stupid or innocent that she would go randomly to a strange house and just ask for help. To cheer herself up, she hummed a little song as she hobbled slowly.

After about twenty minutes, she came to the junction and decided to turn left. After all, she remembered someone telling her that if you were in a maze, then you should keep to the left and it would lead you out.

She came to second junction after another thirty minutes and again took the left. The third time, she made the same decision.

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Fellow readers, I wonder if you realize what Sakuno was doing.

She might have gotten out of the maze by that left-side theory but we have to remember, she was not in a maze but in an orderly residential area and all the left-turns she had been making was actually causing her to hobble in a vague circular route taking her back to where she began.

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Sakuno, being Sakuno, did not realize that she had been wandering, or maybe hobbling would be a better word, in circles. Therefore she went on her merry-go-around-the-block-way.

When she finally reached the place where she started from, not that she noticed, almost two hours and more had past and she was tired and starting to worry again.

Suddenly, someone patted her on the shoulder. She shrieked and turned quickly.

It was Yukimura Seiichi. He had his tennis bag slung over one shoulder and was smiling in amusement.

He had seen her humming to herself several junctions ago and feeling curious, had decided to follow her to see where she was going. When he realized that she had been taking only left turns, he guessed that she must be lost and thought he had better help her find her way.

He greeted her as gently as he could, "Ryuzaki-chan, are you alright? You look lost."

He did not tell her that he had been following her for a while, knowing that it would probably frighten her. Obviously, he still remembered the tears she shed in front of him.

Although he knew that it was not his fault, it cast a shade over his reputation for being the most gentle and non-threatening tennis player in the regulars, not that he really cared but he would have admit, only to himself, that it had stung.

It had stung even more when he had started receiving information from his regulars, the ones who gossiped, and from his sister that Sakuno was becoming very good friends with the ones with the scary reputations, like Sanada or Niou. She was even friends with the cool and aloof Yagyuu and while he would not have cared normally, this girl was his sister's close friend and he did not like the fact that all his regulars were friendly with her and he was not.

It had nothing to do with pride… Well, just a bit but no one needed to know that.

He honestly had wanted to get to know her better. He had not found the time these two weeks because he had been kept busy by various duties at school. Now was the perfect opportunity to, using Yanagi's words, collect data.

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Sakuno was mortified to be caught lost by Miyu's brother while she was trying to do something helpful for his sister. It was most embarrassing and she blushed, "U-uh… hai… Yukimura-senpai… I am lost…"

She sounded so embarrassed that Yukimura had to fight the urge not to grin.

He said, "Where are you going? I will probably know because I grew up in these parts. Why is Miyu not with you? I thought you two go home together."

Sakuno glanced at him, not sure whether she should tell him that Miyu was in detention; it seemed like carrying tales.

Yukimura knew his sister very well and quirked a slight smile, "Let me guess, since you don't want to say, she is probably in trouble."

Sakuno gasped and thought, "How did he know?"

Yukimura chuckled, "Ryuzaki-chan, Miyu has been my sister for sixteen years. I know her very well. Since I did not wake her up this morning, she mostly likely overslept and was late to school. I remember your class-teacher is Sano-sensei. If she was late, then Sano-sensei must have given her detention."

Sakuno's mouth was gaping; she was so surprised, "Is Yukimura-senpai telepathic? How does he know?"

Yukimura could not hold it any longer; her expression was so funny that he had to laugh and he did.

He burst out laughing, a healthy jolly sound that one rarely heard coming from him.

Sakuno's mouth gaped wider, she was completely lost now, no pun intended.

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Yukimura's laughter went on for a while and then his mirth slowly subsided.

He wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes, thinking, "I haven't had a good laugh like that in a very long time. This girl is amazing; no wonder my regulars like to spend time with her, she is so artless but then, that is part of her charm."

In the beginning, he had thought her to be a sweet and caring girl, someone who worried about others more than herself and also his sister's new friend.

He had only wanted to know her a bit, then he would back off, not really interested in making friends with such a young girl. He knew that he was only two years older but she gave the feeling of someone so much younger that he thought of her as a child.

He thought his regulars did as well, but it seemed that he was wrong. They obviously saw in her something that he had missed before.

This clean sincerity that was incapable of deceit; this gentleness coupled with a generous heart that reached out to others; this spring flower that bloomed rarely but when she did, she would be the most beautiful of all – Sakuno.

Now, he wanted to know more. He wanted to know more of this girl; still young, still innocent, so ignored by the vast majority of people who did not know how to appreciate her.

Yukimura Seiichi might have the appearance of a bed-ridden invalid but he was far from it.

He was the best tennis player in the best school in the country. He was also buchou to a group of proud and unruly tennis players; all of them just intent on one thing and that was to become better, stronger, to be the best. He was swift and determined when he had decided on a course of action and now this determination turned to Sakuno.

For the moment though, he would be patient.

There would be no point in frightening the young girl. He did not know if he was attracted to her as someone of the opposite sex but he did know that he was attracted by her essence.

Right now, this sweet flower was looking at him with a worried expression, "Uh… Yukimura-senpai, are you okay?"

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He was looking at her with such intensity that she thought she must have been dreaming. The intensity was quickly replaced by his usual gentle expression and she told herself that she must have been seeing things.

"Thank you, I'm fine. I just thought of something that happened and had to laugh. By the way, Sakuno, I may call you Sakuno, right? Miyu calls you that all the time and somehow it just slipped out." He lied easily.

Sakuno brightened to hear him mention Miyu; that was familiar ground, "Of course, senpai, you may call me Sakuno, just like Miyu-chan. Uh… actually, I was trying to find the public library." She went on to explain what she wanted to do, with a happy smile on her face.

Ever since she had met Miyu, Miyu had been her protector and confidante and she really wanted to do something for her. If not for her ankle, she would have been able to make bento regularly for Miyu because she seemed to like her cooking but that would have to wait.

Yukimura had to bite his lip to keep from laughing again at the thought of Miyu being pleasantly surprised by the novels that Sakuno was going to find.

His dear sister could never sit still for long, except for mealtimes, and the thought of her expression when she received the 'surprise' was so amusing that he vowed he must be there when Sakuno presented Miyu with the novels.

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After he knew of her purpose, they made their way to the public library and Sakuno got several novels that Yagyuu had recommended.

During their walk, Yukimura got her talking about these two weeks. Delighted that they had common friends, Sakuno chatted on lightly about her lunchtimes with the regulars and how happy she was to be at Rikkai Dai.

Yukimura listened indulgently as he walked her home and added funny little anecdotes about the regulars.

They were mostly embarrassing situations that the regulars got into over the years. They would never have told her those stories about themselves, maybe about each other but now that Yukimura had taken charge, they all spilled out to pleasure this girl who was burrowing into their hearts, taking root.

Sakuno laughed and laughed at the ridiculous stories; she could not believe that the regulars could be anything but perfect; however, some of the situations that Yukimura described were definitely less than perfect.

When they got to her doorstep, she hobbled onto the step with ease and turned carefully; it would not do to trip just when she reached home, that was be embarrassing, not that she thought Yukimura would mind because he was such a kind person.

Little did she know that she was right: he would not mind but for totally different reasons.

Yukimura smiled gently at the trusting face turned towards him.

Sakuno was about to thank him and say goodbye when he bent down and kissed her on the cheek. Her face flamed and her doe-like eyes widened.

Yukimura smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, you are such a close friend of Miyu's that I was thinking of you as another sister. I have this habit of kissing her cheek."

This was not totally a lie because they did have this habit, only it was years since they last did it. It was stopped because his regulars teased Miyu mercilessly when they found out and she lost her temper.

Sakuno bought his reason and said shyly, "Oh, I-I see. Uh… today, ano… arigatou-gozaimasu, Yukimura-senpai, for taking me to the library and walking me home. I had a really nice time."

Yukimura replied, "I had a nice time too. I'm glad that we became friends, ne, Sakuno."

Sakuno was flustered, "Huh? But, senpai, I am only a first-year student; you shouldn't call me friend. That is too great an honor!" She was very happy but did not feel she had done anything to deserve being called a friend of the popular and esteemed buchou of the Rikkai Dai boys' tennis club.

Yukimura had expected a similar reaction and she did not disappoint him, "No, you are Miyu's friend and therefore, my friend." He put on a hurt expression, "Or maybe you don't want to be friends with me?"

Sakuno would have wrung her hands they had not been clutching her crutches, "No, I mean, yes, I would love to be your friend, Yukimura-senpai; I would love to be your friend!"

At that moment, the soft-hearted Sakuno would have said anything to wipe that hurt expression of Yukimura's face; it packed so much more power behind it than Bunta's puppy-hurt-look.

Yukimura smiled in real delight, "Then, we are friends, Sakuno. By the way, wait for me tomorrow at lunchtime. I want to be with you when you give those novels to Miyu. I want to see how happy she will be."

Sakuno nodded and agreed, happy once more that Yukimura was not sad and she thought that Miyu was lucky to have such a caring and loving brother. She waved as Yukimura took his leave and then Sakuno went inside.

It was probably for the best that she did not see the smile of anticipation that he allowed himself as he walked away.


	17. A Meeting of Miyu's Doing

_Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis do not belong to me._

**Chapter Seventeen: A Meeting of Miyu's Doing**

The next day, at lunchtime, Yukimura made his way to the girls' classroom.

He was followed by Yanagi and Sanada, who were curious as to this sudden interest in Sakuno. They were not so naïve as to think that he wanted to see Miyu and he was not so stupid as to think they thought he wanted to see his sister. After, Yukimura and Miyu had come to school together just that morning because she also had morning practice.

When they reached the classroom, they found the rest of the regulars there.

Bunta was mock-wrestling Miyu but he stopped when Yukimura looked at him silently. He might enjoy having fun at his sister's expense but that did not change the fact that he was her over-protective brother.

The 'over' was everyone's, apart from Yukimura's, opinion because Yukimura had been known to go frantic when he thought any boy to be hitting on his sister.

After 'looking' at Bunta, Yukimura was about to ask the reason for their combined presence when, Yagyuu started explaining that Sakuno had received permission to stop using the crutches after her bandages were removed this afternoon and she could also start playing tennis again.

Bunta had heard about it from Amano-sensei when he went to the san for medicine because he ate too much during break and had told Jackal with Niou nearby, who told Yagyuu and Yagyuu told Akaya because he knew that Akaya sometimes accompanied the girls to the san.

They thought about telling the other three but they guessed that they would not care less. How wrong they were!

Sakuno's eyes brightened when she saw Yukimura and she got a bag out of her schoolbag.

Yukimura bit his cheek; he was looking forward to this. Yanagi sensed something was going to happen and took out a pen and his traditional notebook.

Sakuno said shyly, "Ano, Miyu-chan, I know that you were worried about the Japanese project we had to do and Yagyuu-senpai only had one copy each of the books he recommended, so Yukimura-senpai helped me yesterday to get to the public library and I got them for you. Now you don't have to worry that you don't have anything to read for the project."

She handed the bag of books to Miyu who had a fixed smile on her face.

She forced herself to look inside the bag and saw the books inside. She quickly put them down and gave Sakuno a tight hug, so that Sakuno would not be able to see the glare she was giving her brother who looked like he wanted to burst out laughing.

She thanked Sakuno in a bright and happy voice, "Thank you so much, Sakuno! I am so sorry that you have to do this when your ankle was not well. Next time, let me treat you to ice-cream."

Sakuno was touched.

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She did not notice some of the regulars' expressions. Most of them were aware that Miyu was not particularly fond of reading.

Bunta's shoulders were shaking silently; he did not want Sakuno to know he was laughing because she would want to know why and he did not want to tell her.

Akaya also knew and he just went outside and laughed his fill before coming back in.

Sanada was amused but he did not show it.

Yanagi, as usual, was penning everything down.

Yagyuu and Jackal were aware that Miyu disliked reading and were surprised by the others' reactions.

Niou simply smirked and kept quiet.

Miyu smoothed over her glare and released Sakuno, smiling, "Let's go now, Sakuno. Amano-sensei would be waiting for us."

Although she was not 'pleasantly surprised' by the books, she was touched by Sakuno's thoughtfulness.

However, she told herself, she would get back at these wretched regulars who were laughing at her.

It did not matter that some of them did not laugh; she usually just put them into one big group. Besides, it promoted teamwork, one for all and all for one, right? She smirked to herself.

She had not missed her brother's involvement in this little 'surprise' and decided since her dear brother also seemed to be interested in her sweet friend, she would 'help' him and the lot of them by quickening the pace of her matchmaking plans.

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That night, she gave Yanagi a call and explained to him what she wanted.

She always got along with Yanagi because even when she was smaller, he never treated her like a child. He would speak to her as an equal.

Besides, he did not seem interested in Sakuno other than collecting data from her or using her to collect data about the regulars. Oh, he liked her as a person but he just did not feel the need to get close to her.

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After listening to Miyu's request, he told her to wait and he would get back to her later that night.

He hung up and called Inui Sadaharu.

Inui was pleased to receive his call. They never lost time on trivial greetings and Yanagi explained Miyu's request immediately.

Inui was interested, of course, and said that he knew the girl and Yanagi had probably seen her before as well, a few years ago anyway, so that might account for him not remembering who she was and who her grandmother was.

To his credit, Yanagi remembered as soon as Inui gave the hint about Sakuno's grandmother, "So she was Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter. I remember now, but she was even smaller when we first saw her at the Junior Training Camp when we were gathered to choose a team for the match against the Americans. She had a really loud friend, didn't she? An Echizen-fan, I think."

Inui chuckled, "Yes, you are right. There is more to it though. I don't have all the details but I will come to Kanagawa to meet you and Yukimura's sister this Sunday. By that time, I will have all the details and we can plan…"

The last words were faintly nasty and Yanagi smiled, though Inui would not be able to see, "Yes, then, we can plan…"

They hung up simultaneously; the in-grained reflexes of a remarkable doubles' pair.

Yanagi called Miyu to let her know about Sunday, telling her what Inui had said and Miyu, (no wonder they got along), gave an evil chuckle, "Thanks, Renji-niisan. Call me when you have decided where to meet and I'll be there."

The three of them went to bed that night, feeling very pleased and excited at the prospect of making a 'plan…'


	18. A Sunday at the Cafe: Part Six

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis._

**Author's Words**_: Thank you, all of you, for your patience because the on-going action is finally going on._

_ I also have to apologize to every one for subjecting you to my _**horrible**_ language in the earlier chapters. I have printed my story out and have re-read it over and over. I realized that I have been making silly mistakes that I should have proof read and corrected. There were horribly long run-on lines and I am trying to cut down on those. Moreover, there were inconsistencies in the characters from the earliest chapters and the latest ones. This is because I did not have as clear a picture as I do now of the Rikkai regulars._

_Maybe, when I have time, I will re-write the story but I simply am not able to do that, so _**please**_ bear with me. And lastly, please enjoy, (if not the language, then the story...)_

**Chapter Eighteen: A Sunday at the Café (Part Six)**

Miyu finished her meal and sat back with a satisfied sigh.

Next to her, Fuji was looking thoughtful, not eating anymore. Miyu had been telling him what had happened to Sakuno since she started studying at Rikkai Dai.

Although most of her tales had been about what she and Sakuno did and talked about, there were comments about the friendship Sakuno had built up with the regulars that had him thinking.

He guessed that she did not give him all the details and he did not blame her for holding back; after all, they had just met and she would not be wise to trust him so soon.

However, when he compared the Sakuno he heard from Miyu's mouth together with the Sakuno he remembered, they seemed almost to be different people. Well, on second thought, not really, the shyness and klutziness were still evidently there but something seemed to be out of place.

He realized that it was because when Sakuno was at Seigaku, she was always in the background, almost invisible and eclipsed by the other first years who rarely gave her the chance to speak, or maybe the correct way of putting it would be, they rarely stopped talking about their own opinions enough for her to speak.

The regulars were just as bad. The regulars had each other; it was true that they were a close-knit group and had very good team rapport but most of them rarely took notice of Sakuno, even though she always ran errands for them on behalf of Ryuzaki-sensei.

They did not ignore her but instead treated her with a vague kindness that was sometimes more damaging in the long run.

Fuji was extremely intuitive when it came to people and even he was too wrapped up in the team and his own business that he did no more than acknowledge her as 'Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter'.

He suspected no one realized because Sakuno had always been in the background, since she was eleven or twelve and she herself thought that was where she belonged.

He felt a pang in his heart when he imagined the happy Sakuno now and compared it with the girl who used to smile gently at everyone and how that smile would be taken for granted by everyone. Only when they lost it that they started thinking of it and missing it.

Possibly only Tezuka ever saw her as she was, Ryuzaki Sakuno but because he was Tezuka, he would never go out of his way to especially notice her.

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Fuji was pulled from his musings when Miyu tried to get Yanagi and Inui to stop their distinctive form of male bonding.

While Miyu had been talking to him between bites, Inui and Yanagi had been taking down what she was saying and then they started to compare and contrast how their forms of data-collecting had changed over time.

Over these few years, they would meet up but when they did, it was mostly to do with tennis or trying to come up with new forms of Penal-Tea. They never got round to comparing notes and now they were taking this opportunity to do it. Sakuno was not a tennis subject and they felt no compunction about keeping her data confidential.

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When she got everyone's attention again, she said, "So, before the food arrived, we were going on about how this Echizen went out with Sakuno, kissed her friend when they were going out and now it appears that he didn't like that friend after all."

Inui nodded and opened his mouth but was interrupted by Miyu, "Wait, I'm not finished, Inui-san." Fuji and Yanagi were amused, usually when Inui spoke, people would listen to him first.

Miyu went on, "Well, I don't know this Echizen so, what's he like? Was he good to Sakuno, I mean, I didn't like the idea of him cheating on her but he seemed important enough to Sakuno that she lost her memory because of him."

Inui got to speak this time, "There is 89.7 chance that Ryuzaki lost her memory because of Echizen; the other possibility would be she lost her memory because of hitting her head when she was hit by the car."

He was vaguely trying to defend Echizen because it was not a light matter and he did not want the blame for Sakuno's accident to be put on Ryoma's shoulders. However, he knew that it was probably useless, because not even he was convinced.

Miyu snorted rudely, "I'm sorry, Inui-san but that is rubbish and you are too smart not to know it. You just want to defend your precious team-mate. What about Sakuno? Does she not deserve defending? If you had to defend Echizen, then it must mean that he was in the wrong or you would not try to turn away from the evidence of your own data."

Miyu was right and Inui blanched.

She was also angry that they did not seem to care about her dear friend when they were supposed to be the ones who knew her for a much longer period of time.

Apparently all they did was exactly that, they just 'knew' of her and did not really 'know' her.

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Yanagi could see that Miyu was working up a rage and thought maybe he should try and stop it but he too, felt for Sakuno and did not really want to stop Miyu.

Just at that moment, a sweet voice called out, "Miyu-chan! Yanagi-senpai! Ohaiyou!"

It was their discussion subject – Sakuno. Yanagi could feel the rage melting away from Miyu and she turned to the direction of the voice with a smile on her face.

Fuji and Inui also turned, more curious about Sakuno than they ever were before; even more than when she started going out with Echizen. At that time, they were just nosy and intent on annoying Echizen. They did not really care who it was that he dated.

Sakuno was skipping lightly up the pavement, waving to Miyu. Suddenly, she tripped and would have fallen if not for the person who was with her.

Yanagi smiled when he saw who that person was.

It was Niou Masaharu. He caught Sakuno from falling and said something to her softly. She nodded meekly and stopped skipping to walk more carefully, not noticing that Niou had kept his hand at her back, obviously very protective.

Yanagi managed not to grin widely; he was not unaware of the reputation of the Trickster.

When they reached the table, the two girls greeted each other and Niou nodded his head to the others. Miyu asked, "What are you up to, Sakuno?"

She wanted to tease Sakuno about being alone with Niou but she was not so stupid as to do it in front of him. She also did not want to embarrass the girl by doing it in front of other people.

Sakuno smiled happily, the pure joy in it was something Fuji and Inui had not noticed before. They hoped that it was because they never noticed and not because it never appeared before.

She answered, "I was so happy to be without the crutches that I wanted to go exploring and met Niou-senpai. I'm so glad that I met him because he had been showing me some of the places around here. I was having a very good time, ne, Niou-senpai!"

She turned to her companion for confirmation of that fact, not that she needed to because the world could see her joy sparkling from her eyes.

Fuji suddenly remembered a look that Sakuno used to wear at Seigaku.

It was an exasperated, slightly defeated look when she was with Tomoka. Tomoka would be doing something like shouting encouragement at the top of her voice at Ryoma, who would be playing a match.

He thought that she would not have this look with Miyu around her. He knew of Tomoka well enough to know that she would be teasing Sakuno at this moment but Miyu held back.

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Niou had been nodding in agreement to Sakuno's statement abruptly; he did not care about the protectiveness he was showing to the others because he knew that Sakuno would not notice.

His quick brain was telling him that this was no random meeting. Two Seigaku regulars with Miyu and Yanagi in Kanagawa? How coincidental could it be?

His eyes narrowed in speculation; he remembered that Sakuno was from Seigaku; wouldn't she know these two famous tennis players? Then how come she was acting as if she did not know them?

Niou could tell she was not acting but he was determined to find out more. He liked this girl and his instinct told him that something was wrong. He would be patient until Sakuno was not there; he had honed that skill over the years waiting for the right moment to spring a trap or the trick people on the court with Yagyuu.

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Miyu and Sakuno had finished the girl-chat they were having about what Sakuno had seen on the way and what Miyu recommended Niou to take her to see later.

She was pleased that Niou was having a good time with Sakuno; he was so cynical that he would surely benefit from her company and she trusted that Sakuno would come to no harm with him protecting her.

Yanagi took the chance to find out something he had been thinking about. He spoke up when the two girls stopped talking, "Ryuzaki-san, have you met these two boys? They are also from Seigaku; one of them is my close friend."

Miyu was startled, she did not plan for this and she was worried about Sakuno's reaction.

Sakuno tipped her to one side as she regarded the two boys also sitting at the table curiously.

She was about to say that she did not know them, when her head started to hurt and some images appeared in her head. She cried softly and her knees failed to support that she was all but sitting on the ground, her hand holding her head at the sharp pain that pulsed through her brain.

Fuji wanted to reach out but Niou stepped in front of Sakuno, not allowing him to touch her. He knelt down and scooped Sakuno up and sat down on a chair with Sakuno on his lap. He started rocking her and mumbling nonsensical words in her ear, trying to ease the obvious pain she was in.

Miyu hissed to Yanagi angrily but quietly, "Renji-niisan, are you satisfied now! She did not recognize them!" Yanagi had the grace to look ashamed. He did not mean for her to hurt.

Inui and Fuji looked on, both silently shocked that their mere presence could bring so much pain to this gentle and quiet girl who had done nothing more than fall in love with possibly the wrong person.

They were all happy when Ryoma and Sakuno started going out because everyone knew of her crush and anyway, they reckoned Ryoma was at the age for a girlfriend.

However, their happiness for her was not really personal because if it was, they would have realized how deep her feelings ran. They should have noticed because one did not just have a crush on someone for three years running.

They knew that Ryoma was cool to everyone, including her but they thought that he would be more like a boyfriend in private. Now, Fuji wondered if he was but somehow, he doubted it.

Fuji also thought back to the early junior high days when he saw more of Sakuno.

Had he ever seen anyone treating Sakuno with such obvious care? No, not anyone, the second and third years just saw her as Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter. The first years were all too concerned with themselves and too immature to care about anyone else.

Inui was thinking that the hurt Sakuno suffered from psychologically probably was much deeper than he first calculated.

It was possible, he thought, now he had really seen her, that the wound was caused by the first careless word Echizen said to her. It would have deepened every time he ignored her or was cool or careless with her.

He knew that Echizen was like that to most people but he also understood that not everyone would be able to stand it for three years and still had a crush on him Sakuno must be stronger than anyone thought, despite her fragile appearance.

He knew that Tomoka also had a crush on Echizen but since she was never one to let others affect her, he had no doubt that she would not have the same kind of wound Sakuno carried inside her.

He was quickly revising his calculations and wondering if there would be a cure. He may be very clever but the mental working of a female's mind was one of the things that had always eluded him.

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Gradually, Sakuno stopped being so tensed and she opened her eyes slowly to see Niou looking down at her.

The worry and care in his eyes were so obvious that she felt something hit her and she suddenly wanted to curl up in his care and cry, washing away the sorrow in her heart that was there and seemed irrational and illogical.

She was not aware of anything else at that moment, only the fact that she was no longer hurting and was safe.

Yes, she thought, safe in Niou-senpai's arms…


	19. A Sunday at the Cafe: The Last Part

_Disclaimer: I don't own The Prince of Tennis_

**Author's Request**_: I love seeing everyone's reviews and if I can, answer them personally. Unfortunately, _**there are some that I cannot answer because I have no way of contacting them**_. I do not answer reviews with my updates because my replies that to be rather lengthy and would take up too much room. Besides they are personal replies so I_** would prefer it if you leave a way for me to reply to your review**_. Thank you._

**Chapter Nineteen: A Sunday at the Café (The Last Part)**

The tender moment was unwittingly cut short by Miyu when she saw Sakuno's eyes flutter open.

She went and gave Sakuno a tight hug, "Are you okay? I was so worried, Sakuno? Do you want to go home? Do you need something to drink?"

Sakuno breathed in Miyu's sunny scent and felt strength coming back to her. She felt… loved by these two people who enveloped her with their strength, care and warmth. The cold spot in her heart started to heat up again; that cold spot that pulsed strongly whenever she had her headaches.

She said, "I feel much better now, Miyu-chan and Niou-senpai. Thank you for being here for me…" Her voice almost broke at the end of the sentence but she composed herself.

Miyu released her and got her a chair so she could get off Niou's lap.

Sakuno's limbs still felt weak and she gladly accepted Niou's help in getting into the chair. She did not know why but she did not blush when she found that she had been sitting in Niou-senpai's lap.

She thought it must be because she had such a strong sense of safety there; with Miyu around, she was entirely at ease now that her headache had gone.

She remembered the question Yanagi had asked her before her headache came… the images! She remembered the images! She remembered seeing these two strangers before.

She concentrated on their features, looking from one to the other. Miyu wanted to stop her but since she seemed fine now, she said nothing.

A name came to Sakuno and she said it with thinking, "Fuji… Fuji Syusuke…"

Everyone heard her and Fuji's eyes widened sharply. He did not know what to think for once. Should he be glad that she was remembering or should he be wary of what that might mean?

Sakuno murmured softly, "I-I know you, Fuji-senpai and I-Inui-senpai…" She frowned slightly, "How come I know you? You two…" Her memory took pity on her and gave her two images. "You two… play tennis… at Seigaku?" She asked, not sure if she was right.

Fuji decided to be straight-forward with her, "Yes, Ryuzaki-chan, your grandmother taught us when we were in Seigaku Junior High. We met you when you started studying there three years ago. Do you remember the other regulars? You used to come and cheer for us when we played matches against other schools. You even met some of the Rikkai regulars very briefly when you were twelve."

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Sakuno looked puzzled but when she heard the last part of his speech, she brightened visibly and asked with a smile, "I did? I met them before? How come I don't remember? Have I met you, Niou-senpai?"

Niou quirked a smile at her quick change of mood, "No, I haven't met you when you were twelve. We did play against Seigaku in the Kanto Finals but that was it for me. Maybe it was some others that Fuji was talking about."

Sakuno looked disappointed so Inui said, "You were helping with the Junior Training Camp and only Sanada, Kirihara and Renji were there. You did not know them personally because we all had our own jobs to do."

Sakuno nodded, "Thank you, I-Inui-se… Inui-san." They all noticed the change in the honorific.

Sakuno remembered that Fuji mentioned something about the others but she instinctively shied away from thinking about that, so she did not mention it again.

Somehow, these people seemed familiar but she did not remember really knowing them.

It was an uncomfortable feeling; was she not supposed to have met them three years ago? How come they were less familiar than the Rikkai regulars that she had only met about two weeks ago?

She was puzzled by the questions she came up with and yet, she felt that she did not want any answers at the moment. She suddenly wanted to leave but did not how to say so without sounding rude.

Niou noticed her uncomfortable expression and while he could not guess at the reason, he wanted to take her away from these Seigaku regulars who seemed to be the cause of her headache earlier.

He said, "Sakuno, I had better take you home now. You are looking a bit pale. Yanagi, I'll call you later." He looked meaningfully at Yanagi; telling him without words that he would have his explanation one way or the other.

Miyu did not want Sakuno to go but she wanted to go on planning what to do next, so she encouraged Sakuno to take some rest.

Sakuno was grateful for the understanding from her friends and she left after saying goodbye. They walked away, Sakuno unconsciously holding onto Niou's T-shirt for comfort.

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Miyu watched them go and sat down, rubbing her temples tiredly.

Yanagi watched her and spoke up, "I'm very sorry, Miyu. I was too hasty." Miyu smiled at him, her earlier anger had dissipated very quickly, "It's fine, besides, you don't have to apologize to me, and it would have come to that sooner or later."

Fuji knew what Miyu meant and mused, "It seemed that although Ryuzaki-chan did not react favorably when she saw us, she was able to recover with support from Niou. I wonder if she could do the same with the other regulars."

It was a valid point and Miyu caught on at once.

Yanagi and Inui, the incorrigible data-collection maniacs were already scribbling away at their notebooks. The other two ignored them, knowing that they were more or less useless now.

Miyu looked thoughtful, "I would hate to say it but I think you have a point there, Fuji-san. Sakuno obviously feels safe with Niou-senpai and I think that she would feel the same with most of the other regulars because they have been getting to know each other quite well. Are you suggesting something?"

Fuji smiled at her quickness of mind, "Yes, Yukimura-chan, I think that it would be better for this… problem between Echizen and Ryuzaki-chan to be solved as soon as possible. Ryuzaki-chan would not be able to move forward if she does not overcome it, don't you agree?"

Miyu grimaced, "I know, but I don't want to see Sakuno like that again… still, it won't help her in the long run if someday, she sees that Echizen at a game or somewhere and goes into shock because of it. It would be better if we set up the place and conditions for them to see each other again."

Fuji was slightly surprised that she had been so receptive to his suggestion; she seemed to be very protective of Ryuzaki.

However, he said, "Inui and I will go back and talk to the others and then we will contact you again. That would be best, I think. In the meantime, what do you think you can do, Yukimura-chan?"

Miyu thought and turned to Yanagi, who had finally stopped his scribbling, "Renji-niisan, do you think we should tell everyone about Sakuno's selective amnesia? I would rather less people know about it but I think she will need their support later. However, it is not really my problem to tell."

Yanagi nodded, "I agree with you, but I think it would be better if they know about it. Niou will definitely ask about it later and the others will be better prepared to react if she gets any more of those bad headaches again. I also want Ryuzaki to step out of her past and enjoy her present at Rikkai; she is a very good influence on the regulars."

Fuji smiled sadly at his last words, "…step out of her past and enjoy her present… kai?" He thought, "We have let a treasure go and never even noticed."

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With promises to get in touch as soon as possible, the four departed with their own thoughts on what they had learned and seen. Fuji and Inui returned to Tokyo and Miyu and Yanagi went home.

Miyu called Sakuno as soon as she was home to make sure she was fine.

She disliked keeping her in the dark about what they were going to do but she thought that it might be best. She did not want Sakuno to dwell on her lost memories after all.

Besides, Sakuno appeared to have forgotten about her selective amnesia because it did not overly affect her life.

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She remembered who she was; she remembered her relatives; she remembered most of her old classmates and teachers at Seigaku.

She did not think too much about her old school nowadays because she was so happy at Rikkai.

Everyday, there was something new to learn and something happy to share with her friends. Soon she could start going to tennis practices again and would become even busier.

She would have less and less reasons to remember her old school, apart from the fact that her dearest grandmother was still teaching in the junior section.

During the holidays, Sakuno knew that she would go and stay with her grandmother but now, her life was so full that she did not mind being away from her.

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After Miyu finished talking to Sakuno, she went to her brother's room and knocked.

He said, "Come in, Miyu." There was only the two of them in the house and he knew it could only be her. He was pleased that she came to see him because he had been worrying over her and Renji the whole day and finally decided that he should just ask her.

He turned from his desk and Miyu sat down on the floor, looking up at her brother as she had done since she could understand that this was someone who would always be there for her.

What she did not expect was his expression; a mixture of dread, embarrassment and determination. She was even more surprised when he blurted out, "Miyu, are you and Renji dating?"

She was speechless and then, without warning, starting hollering.

She laughed so hard at this ridiculous question that she began to roll on the floor, stamping her feet and clutching her stomach.

Yukimura looked embarrassed now; from her reaction he got his answer. He was obviously imagining things and Miyu would definitely tell everyone about it. He would have to put up with snide comments and nudges in the ribs for some days to come.

Even Sanada had commented on his protectiveness; he refused to add the 'over' in front of the word.

That had been some time ago when they saw a pleasant looking young man talking to Miyu on the street.

Yukimura had started to speculate frantically about future brother-in-laws and such nonsense to Sanada until Sanada just told him to go over and ask Miyu about it. It turned out that the nice young man was just asking for directions.

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Miyu stopped laughing after a while and she said to her embarrassed brother, "Onii-san, I was coming in to tell you about today but since you asked me first, well, no, I am not dating Renji-niisan."

Yukimura said sheepishly, "I know that now, you were laughing so hard that it couldn't be possible. Anyway, what were you doing with him?"

Miyu's face became more serious and she started to explain, "We were meeting with Inui-san from Seigaku this morning because I needed some information about Sakuno…"

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Yukimura listened patiently, not reacting when he heard about Niou and Sakuno, though he could do without that.

After Miyu finished, he thought for a while and looked at his sister, a calculating glimmer in his eyes, "Do you want to invite the regulars over for dinner tomorrow after practice?"

Miyu smiled, pleased that her brother had caught on so quickly and was ready to take action and support her, "I would have to make sure that Sakuno doesn't know about this, she might be hurt at being left out… oh wait, I could just tell her that you guys will be talking tennis tactics. I'll call Renji-niisan now and tell him."

She got up but Yukimura said, "No, I'll do it. Don't worry, get some rest, you've done enough for today."

Miyu grinned and pecked Yukimura on the cheek, surprising him, "Thanks onii-san, I knew I could count on you! Oyasumi!"

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Yukimura rubbed his cheek gently, thinking ironically that he had been telling Sakuno about the 'pecking on the cheeks' habit that they used to have and thinking that it was a half-lie. Well, now he would be able to say with a clear conscience that it was the truth.

He got out his phone and phoned Yanagi, who was wondering whether he should call and tell Yukimura what he and Miyu had been doing.

He picked his phone and it rang. He almost dropped it in surprise.

He answered, "Yanagi Renji speaking."

Yukimura lost no words with his old friend, "Miyu told me. We will be having a regulars' meeting at my house tomorrow after practice along with dinner… take-away because only Miyu and I are home."

Yanagi understood the command underlying the words, "I'll inform everyone tonight and tell them it's urgent."

Yukimura was pleased, "Thank you, Renji. By the way, what do you think about this situation? Do you think that Sakuno will want to return to Seigaku after this?"

Yanagi noticed the change in the way Yukimura addressed Ryuzaki but being him, he did not tease his buchou and friend.

He answered, "First, we are assuming that she will regain her memories at the sight of Echizen Ryoma and possibly the other Seigaku regulars. You have to remember that there is also the possibility that she would not remember them. However, to answer your question; I think that the chances of her staying at Rikkai Dai are good because it appeared that she was not… as valued at Seigaku.

Besides, she had negative memories connected with Seigaku and positive memories with Rikkai, so I don't think you will have to worry about it. This is just my guess though but I think you are smart enough to come up with the same conclusion yourself, Seiichi. Why ask me?"

Yukimura smiled wryly, though Yanagi could not see it, "I have my reasons and if you can guess them, maybe I'll tell you. You'll probably know soon enough, old friend. Goodnight."

Without waiting for Yanagi's response, he hung up. Yukimura thought, "Yes, I have my reasons…"


	20. The Meeting at Tezuka's House

_Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis does not belong to me._

**Chapter Twenty: The Meeting at Tezuka's House**

Fuji had arrived home on Sunday and called Tezuka.

He told him what he had learned when he was at Kanagawa, knowing that he could be trusted not to tell anyone, including Ryuzaki-sensei about what they were going to do.

Tezuka listened and was silent for a while. Fuji gave him time, understanding that he needed some time to absorb all that.

Finally, Tezuka said, "We will talk about this tomorrow at school after practice. I'll call Inui and get him to contact everyone except for Echizen. We will meet at my house after dinner."

Fuji agreed that sounded safest because if they talked about it at school, chances would be that Echizen would overhear at the worst possible time or Momo or Eiji would give the game away, not that this was a game.

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The next day, Eiji bombarded Fuji with questions like, "Nya, what's up? Fuji! What's up?" and "Tell me, nya! Tell me!" Fuji, extremely practiced at keeping his own counsel, just smiled at him and said, "You'll know soon enough." And tuned him out, thinking about the sad little girl whom everyone saw and nobody knew.

Momo was threatened by Inui's new and not-yet tested health drink if he dared to breathe a word to Echizen. Kaidou never gossiped so he was safe.

Kawamura, in case anyone was wondering, did not attend senior school, having started his apprenticeship with his father.

Oishi knew that it was a serious matter because Tezuka told him a little about it when they met that morning on the way to school, so he would not say anything to anyone, including Eiji, his trusted partner on the court, though one very not-trusted-to-keep-his-mouth-shut friend.

They were all looking forward to the meeting, though for different reasons.

Momo and Eiji were natural busybodies; Kaidou was simply curious about what could have gotten his senpai-tachi so worked up; Oishi was worried about Ryuzaki and Echizen and was anxious to get their 'problem' solved.

At practice, Ryoma would have noticed that his senpai-tachi seemed to be more excited than usual except he was in his own world these days, thinking about his 'missing' girlfriend and basically taking out his frustration on his practice partners, whether they were regulars or not.

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After practice, everyone rushed home to change and head to Tezuka's home. Most of them had never been there before; their buchou being a private person. Besides, they usually congregated at Kawamura's Sushi.

That night, Tezuka ordered pizza, telling his family that some of his team-mates had bottomless pits for stomachs and that they would be more comfortable in the living room on their own.

His family generally respected his wishes and stayed away from the living room that night, thinking that it must be some tennis meeting or the other.

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When both the pizza and the regulars arrived, Tezuka looked at them and said, "I got everyone here because we finally have news of Ryuzaki. Inui and Fuji had even seen her yesterday. She is now studying at Rikkai Dai and she has lost most memories to do with tennis and us."

He let that sink in before speaking again.

Momo, who was about to take a bite of his pizza, was left with his mouth open.

Oishi did not look shocked; he had heard this from Tezuka but hearing it again still made him sad.

Kaidou was expressionless, except for the slight widening of eyes.

Eiji was speechless for once.

Before they could bombard him with questions, Tezuka said, "I'll let Inui and Fuji tell you about it. They know much more than I do. I want you to keep quiet and listen without interrupting because this is more serious than we thought."

Everyone responded to his authority and sat up to listen.

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First Inui began telling them of Yanagi's phone and Miyu's request. He told them of the data he had collected and how Fuji came up to them at the café.

Then, Fuji took up the tale, his face devoid of his usual relaxed smile.

He mentioned Miyu's obvious care for Sakuno and her anger. He talked of the weeks that Sakuno spent getting to know the Rikkai regulars and vice versa.

He added, somewhat bitterly, the question he asked himself, they knew Ryuzaki for three years and more but they didn't know her at all.

He went on to tell of Sakuno's arrival with Niou; describing her happy smile and carefree attitude even with so many boys around.

Had they every seen her so carefree when she was around them? They were her senpai-tachi and yet she was always nervous and shy around them except during games when she would be concentrating on the game.

He halted, not liking the next part of his tale, but taking a deep breath, plowed on. He told them about the attack of Sakuno's headache and how weak she became. He emphasized Niou's gentle care of her and Miyu's mothering.

He gave them the picture of Sakuno slowly reviving under the care of her two friends; one of whom had a reputation for being a ruthless trickster and one of their strongest opponents.

Fuji then outlined Miyu's and his thoughts on what they should do and stopped there, waiting for their reactions.

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There was a long silence, unusual with Momo, Kaidou and Eiji there.

They were all trying to remember if they were really guilty of what Fuji was subtly accusing them of: their kind ignorance towards a girl who did not do anything wrong except for being shy and eclipsed by everyone else.

They were now feeling guilty.

If it had been another girl, Fuji would not have made the accusations but this one deserved better.

She may not be a close friend of theirs but she had always been there.

Part of it was because of her grandmother who kept in touch with most of them even when they graduated. Teams would change when time passed but this particular group had always been very close so Ryuzaki would go to most of their games when they were in the senior section when she was still in the junior.

She would go because she wanted to cheer them, partly because she liked them and partly because she knew her grandmother would want to know about them.

No one asked her to go and no one asked her to support them but she did, in her quiet and shy manner, she was always there. She never asked for anything in return and when they noticed her, she always felt honored.

It would be a lie to say that her humbleness, when some of them spoke to her, was not an ego-booster because it was.

Momo had lost his appetite; Eiji was still silent and hugging a cushion; Oishi did not look at anyone; Kaidou was sorry that he was not brave enough to befriend her before.

Tezuka did not feel any better but he was used to dealing with regrets and he knew that they now had the chance to make it right for her.

At least, they could have a hand in helping her step out of the past for she was in the past. As long as she did not remember them and Ryoma, part of her would always be in the past.

Fuji was not sympathetic towards his friends because he was not feeling very generous at even himself.

He knew that it was always difficult to face your own mistakes but with the Seigaku reputation of being friendly and united, it was doubly hard for them to accept that they had unknowingly helped to push a girl, that should have blossomed beautifully, even more into her bud.

They were supposed to be friendly and down-on-earth, compared with the high and mighty Rikkai regulars. Now, they learned that in their blind arrogance, they had been the high and mighty ones. They had forgotten to look around them and see others who supported them outside the courts.

They did not know what to say.

Inui, being him, had gotten over his guilt pretty quickly. He was never much of a people's person and now he decided that he should just stick to what he was best at and that was take notes so he could take to Renji later.

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Tezuka looked at Fuji, indicating that it would be better for Fuji to take control because he was better with situations like these, as in planning what to do.

Tezuka usually did the planning on his own but he felt that the regulars needed to have a hand in this for themselves.

Fuji spoke and snapped everyone out of their thoughts and guilt, "It doesn't matter now. What's done is done and we have to find a way to make it better. Yanagi said that she should 'step out of her past and enjoy her present' and he was right. We can help her by bringing Echizen to her and if she wants, then taking him away to leave her in peace.

We also need to prepare Echizen because he doesn't know about her selective amnesia. I would be the last one to say this but he needed to know there is a reality outside of tennis and sometimes you need to adopt different ways to approach different people."

They all knew what Fuji meant because Echizen never changed; he used the same attitude to everyone from his father to a stranger.

In fact, they wondered how they did not see it before; why would he be any different in his attitude to a girlfriend who always gave and never took.

It did not make Echizen any less of a person; it only showed that he was still as immature as he was at the age they first met him, twelve.

Some of them were not better than him in fact.

Momo and Eiji still needed to learn some restraint while Kaidou would have trouble finding a job in the future with his lack of social skills or even if he did find, he would not have much of a social life, though he might not care.

This time they were really learning a lesson on growing up, all of them, one way or another.

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That night, all of the regulars had to take home some pizza because Tezuka did not expect them to lose their appetites.

Inui said that he would contact them again when he had talked to Renji.

Fuji felt much better after sharing his bitterness at the loss of such a treasure and Tezuka was glad that they were finally growing up, a little anyway.


	21. The Meeting at Yukimura's House

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis_

**Chapter Twenty-One: The Meeting at Yukimura's House**

The Rikkai regulars arrived at Yukimura's house after school, not bothering to go home to change because it was already late after practice. They went in after Yukimura opened the door.

He knew they were curious for this sudden meeting but since they were all hungry, he decided to order their food first. Miyu already had the phone ready; she knew these boys well.

As usual when they congregated at Yukimura's house, though they had not done it in a while, they would get two types of food: pizza and traditional Japanese ramen.

The ramen was for Yukimura and Yanagi who preferred to have something that was not made of grease. The pizza was for everyone else.

They all wanted to ask about this meeting, excluding Niou and Sanada who knew a bit about it already. Yukimura had told Sanada and Niou had 'asked' Yanagi to explain on the phone yesterday night.

The others knew better than to rush Yukimura when he was not ready to say anything, so they forced themselves to be patient and waited until they finished eating.

The food arrived very quickly and they sat down at the dining table. Bunta ate like there was no tomorrow; he was not only hungry but also wary that others would take his portion of the pizza.

Only Akaya was eating somewhat like him, but he was naturally a fast-eater. The others would have taken their time except their minds were not on the food but about the meeting.

Very soon, everyone finished and Miyu, being a good host, made green tea to help their digestion.

Yukimura waited until everyone had a cup of tea and spoke up, "I wanted everyone here today because yesterday, Miyu and Renji met with Inui and Fuji from Seigaku and they have something very interesting to tell us."

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Yanagi started to explain about Miyu's request to know more about her friend. He went on to talk about calling Inui and finding out that Sakuno was Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter.

He said that Inui told him when they met up that she was Echizen's girlfriend before she came here. Then before some of them could erupt, he quickly described Inui's most probable scenario and the accident.

The others were now silent, successfully distracted for the time being from the shock of 'Echizen's girlfriend'. He nodded at Miyu to take up the story because she was the first one to know about Sakuno's selective amnesia.

Miyu told them about Sakuno's first day at school and their conversation about tennis.

She then explained her wanting to know more about Sakuno from her old school, not letting on to anyone that her real reason in the beginning had been matchmaking. She thought that they would not be too pleased to find out that she had been, to some extent, manipulating them.

She described Fuji's unexpected appearance and his understanding about their reasons.

She glanced at Niou before talking about meeting Sakuno and Niou at the café and how she collapsed because of Fuji and Inui's presence. Miyu was glad that nobody reacted to the 'Niou and Sakuno' together bit.

She said that Sakuno revived after a while because Niou and Miyu had been there. She did not want to say that it was mainly Niou who had done caring. Niou did not correct her and Yanagi was never gossipy.

She went on with Sakuno and Niou's departure and then, Fuji and her planning on what to do next. That was how they came up with this meeting and she said that if she was right, the Seigaku regulars sans 'stupid' Echizen would be meeting this week about this situation.

The 'stupid' was her own added comment but no one corrected her, not after what they had heard.

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The regulars looked thoughtful after she finished.

They did not expect that Sakuno actually had amnesia but in reality they were more surprised and annoyed by the fact that she had been Echizen's girlfriend.

None of them was willing to say that technically speaking she was still his girlfriend because they had not broken up yet.

They did not really care anyway; if they had been the sort to dwell on the past too much, they would have lost their places in the team ages ago.

Looking forward was what they were good at and they basically kicked the 'Echizen's girlfriend' bit out of their heads, simultaneously thinking that it was in past now because Sakuno was a Rikkai member and not a Seigaku member.

However, more than one of them really wanted to give those annoying Seigaku regulars a good thrashing, especially paying attention to Echizen who had been mildly annoying before but now was definitely an official enemy.

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Yanagi, like Inui had been doing, was making notes of the regulars interesting expressions. They were nothing if not opportunists in these occasions.

Yukimura had heard it all before but he still felt angry that Sakuno was not valued when she should have been treasured. He hid it well but Miyu and Yanagi could tell he was not happy.

Sanada was his usual stoic self except for the fact that he was clenching and unclenching his fists as if he was feeling the urge to hit someone. Only he knew how protective he had gotten over the little girl who showed him no fear except in the beginning and had overcome that fear to befriend him like any normal person.

He did not care either way but he had to admit that it was pleasing to have someone other than his team-mates and Miyu to want to befriend him for himself and not the Emperor.

Yagyuu also was expressionless, his glasses hiding whatever emotion that was churning inside him.

He liked the attentiveness that Sakuno showed but to be attentive all the time and never have someone show that same attentiveness towards you must be painful. He made up his mind that next time it would be him who paid attention to her.

Akaya was visibly angry though he did not say anything. His fury that someone would hurt his bunny was too strong to put into words.

It did not matter to him that it happened before he claimed her as his bunny and that she did not think of herself as his bunny.

What matters was what he thought of the situation and mostly, of Echizen. He was rarely that worked up about anything other than losing to others when playing tennis but this time, he was truly angry.

How dare his Saku-no-bunny have been mistreated and bullied? His imagination was not helping because, as we can see, he was starting to think of worst case scenarios that never happened.

She was not really mistreated or bullied but Akaya now firmly believed that Sakuno had been the Cinderella in a school full of wicked stepmothers and stepsisters and cold, uncaring princes.

Bunta was vaguely glad that Yukimura had made them eat before having the meeting because he now felt he did not want to eat anymore. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was full because he always had room for more food.

He knew how difficult it was to be ignored and not valued because before he made his place among the regulars, he was just one player in the huge Rikkai tennis club in the junior section.

He was just one out of so many others and he hated that feeling.

He was sad and angry for his sweet friend who was kind enough to share her cakes even when she did not know him and had given him cakes and a bento today because she had been so pleased to be able to stand in the kitchen that she made food for everyone to thank them.

It had been a heavy load but she was so happy when she gave the bento to the regulars that it seemed to him that it was her who was doing the receiving instead of giving.

Both Miyu and he had almost wept for joy.

Bunta was because he naturally loved food and Miyu was because she had been living off instant food and takeaways since her parents and grandmother were away on vacation. Both Yukimura and Miyu did not cook well, although they were a genius when it came to other subjects.

Jackal was extremely uncomfortable about the fact that the Seigaku people had actually managed to overlook such an amusing girl. He had always had a pretty good impression of them but now, he felt a slight resentment towards them for letting this situation happen to a girl he called friend.

He had many friends but he had never had one that was as defenseless as Sakuno so he was feeling that she was like a little sister who needed to be protected and not ignored.

Niou was absolutely furious after hearing the whole story, more so than any of them because he had actually been there when Sakuno knelt down in public because her head was hurting so much that she was not aware of anything else.

He had never been so angry in his life and it was only the control he had learnt under Sanada that he did not burst out of the door and rush to Tokyo and do something extremely nasty to the now-hated Echizen.

He did not really feel anything for the young tennis player before because he never had the chance to play against him, being a doubles' player but now he felt plenty.

He hated the fact that he had been her boyfriend, not that he wanted the honor, not yet anyway.

He hated it that he had betrayed her with her best friend and while she was ill too. Even he was not that unscrupulous… he guessed.

He had never had a steady girlfriend for long so he had not the chance to try cheating on her but somehow he could not imagine himself doing anything that would hurt Sakuno.

It was strange but even he could not deny that she was a very sweet and friendly girl, a bit shy but very relaxing to be with. Moreover, he actually found her very amusing because like Yukimura, he thought that her artlessness had a certain charm to it.

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Miyu, having finished telling her tale, looked around and observed her 'brothers'.

She was secretly pleased, part of her anyway, that they genuinely cared about Sakuno. She looked at Yanagi who had finally put down his pen and she cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

They looked at her, waiting silently, still caught in the aftermath of her account. She said, "I guess that I can count on everyone to be with Sakuno when we set up the meeting with the Seigaku people. I'll leave Renji-niisan to make contact and when we have a date, we'll tell everyone. Is that alright?"

They were still silent and she did not like it. It was intimidating and the boys had been so familiar to her that they should be past intimidating.

Yukimura took charge, "That would be fine. Moreover, I want to add that when we have the meeting, it will not be for our sake but Sakuno's and I don't want anyone being violent or provocative. It will only scare Sakuno and no one wants that, right?"

His voice was deceptively calm and gentle but the warning did not go unnoticed.

Yukimura looked at Sanada, counting on him to keep the discipline when the time came. Sanada nodded, having understood the request.

They had been working together for a long time after all. Sanada was the one who disciplined while Yukimura made the decisions and commanded. Yanagi was the brains and the information and the three were well aware of what the other thought most of the time.

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After Yukimura's little warning, everyone knew the meeting was over.

Yagyuu and Jackal, being naturally polite, started to wash dishes in the kitchen. The dining table had been cleaned before they had their tea so Bunta only needed to collect the cups and tea-pot and take them to the kitchen.

Akaya was still too angry to notice that this time he was not ordered to do the clearing up and the washing up.

He just wanted to leave and fume in private, probably take his frustration out on video games because it was too dark outside to play tennis and there were no courts nearby that had lights. He took his leave and was the first one to go.

Niou followed him soon after, wanting to calm himself a bit or maybe, like Akaya, take his frustration out somewhere. I pity the person who would become his target that night, whoever that may be.

Sanada, Yanagi and Yukimura went to his room where they planned the next week's practice timetables to get their minds off the situation for the time being because until the meeting with Seigaku, it was no use dwelling on it.

Besides they also had the whole tennis club to run and not only the regulars who had a separate practice plan.

Yanagi was not stingy about the practices for the regulars and if anyone wanted a similar menu, they were welcome to it. The problem was always whether they could follow it until they improved enough to challenge the regulars for a place on the team.

Miyu stretched and waited for the others to leave so she could go and relax in her room. She wanted to call Sakuno but decided that she would not in case she renewed her anger at the injustice of it all.

She knew that she biased about the situation; all of them were but they did not care because what they cared about was only the fact that one of them, Sakuno, had been hurt and was still hurting inside.

Yagyuu and Jackal finished the dishes and she thanked them. They told her that Bunta was still in the kitchen and she rushed in.

She was surprised to find him just staring at the open fridge.

He was not looking for food. She tapped him on the shoulder and he said without turning, "I'm not hungry." With that he said that he might as well go home.

Miyu did not say anything. She just saw Yagyuu, Bunta and Jackal out the door and went upstairs. She knew that Sanada and Yanagi would leave when they were ready and her brother would lock up.

She popped her head in her brother's room to say goodnight to the three and they vaguely murmured goodnights to her before turning back to their topic.

Miyu then had a bath, relaxing herself and called it a night.

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Yukimura, on the other hand, stayed up after he saw his friends out and locked the door and the windows downstairs.

He sat at his desk and remembered saying to Renji yesterday that he had his reasons for asking him what he already thought about.

It sounded very cool and mysterious when he said that but only he knew how much of a façade that was.

He simply wanted confirmation of his speculations because he did not want Sakuno to go back to Seigaku or even Tokyo.

He was not as stupid as the Seigaku regulars were to let such a treasure go.

He had only started to get to know the girl and suddenly this 'Echizen's girlfriend' sprang up.

He was definitely unhappy about it and although he told his regulars to keep their tempers under control, he wondered if he could really follow his own advice. He thought he could but still he wondered.

Finally he stretched, had a quick shower to help him sleep and settled down for the night.


	22. A Plan Gone Awry

_Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis do not belong to me._

**Chapter Twenty-Two: A Plan… Gone Awry**

Two days after the two meetings, they had already decided they would put everything in action over the weekend because the Seigaku regulars would have to go to Kanagawa in order to see Sakuno.

During the weekend, they would have more time to spend and would not have to rush to and fro. They told Ryoma that they had planned a weekend practice together with the Rikkai regulars.

The story that Ryoma got was that Inui and Yanagi had combined their talents and worked out some super practice menu that they wanted to try out.

Unbeknownst to everyone, the two had actually done that, they just had not had the chance to try it out with everyone not killing them yet. They wondered if they would have the chance this weekend but doubted it.

Yanagi could always get some hapless but ambitious members from the tennis club to be his 'helpers' and Inui thought that he might rent the menu out at a discount and ask for feedback.

Miyu was wondering what excuse she could give to Sakuno for getting her to come to her house over the weekend. She could always say something like, "Why don't we meet at my house to study?"

The only problem was she did not like to study and Sakuno knew that; she did not make a secret of it. Then she had the grand idea of having a sleepover.

In the end, she told Yukimura about it and he said that might as well have her stay at their house over the weekend.

She was so excited about the prospect; she had never had a sleepover with girls at her house before. Most of the girls that she knew were alright to talk to but they all had their sights on her brother and his friends and she hated it.

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Everything was settled on Thursday and it would have been like this on Saturday: the Seigaku regulars together with Ryoma would travel to Kanagawa and at the station, Yanagi would meet them.

Then, they would go to Yukimura's house and if Ryoma raised any fuss, there would be eight strong tennis players to subdue and drag him along.

There, they would meet Sakuno with the rest of the Rikkai members and they would, hopefully, talk like civilized human beings.

Of course, it all depended on Sakuno in the end but most of them tried not to think of worst case scenarios just yet. The worst case scenarios that everyone tried to avoid thinking about but thought about anyway mostly consists of the two teams getting into a huge group fight and being horribly punished for it afterwards.

The punishment bit was only considered by Yukimura, Tezuka, Fuji, Sanada, Oishi, Inui, Yagyuu and Yanagi. The others were the ones who were just thinking about the possibility of the fight.

Another scene that they imagined would be Sakuno did not turn up and they would meet for nothing and would be angry and still get into a fight.

A third one would be a much more peaceful one with Sakuno looking at the Seigaku members and not remembering anything, apart from Fuji and Inui, but Ryoma, seeing her, would go ballistic and they would have to tie him and take him home that way until Sakuno remembered them.

These were all possible outcomes, although some of them were blown out of proportion by the imaginations of these lively and hot-headed young men.

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They were waiting, some of them impatiently, for the weekend when something totally unexpected or maybe, really to be expected happened on Friday afternoon.

The regulars, sans Ryoma were gathered in the changing rooms talking about tomorrow. They did it because they knew that Ryoma had an extra class that day and would be late.

What they did not know was that the lesson had been cancelled last minute because the teacher had received an urgent phone call from home and had left.

Ryoma was at this very moment walking towards the changing rooms, pleased that he could go and smash balls at people… for them to hit. He was outside the changing rooms when he heard his name mentioned and he stopped.

It was only natural for him to want to eavesdrop when the subject concerned was him.

His senpai-tachi's voices were not soft by any standard and he quietly eased open the door a bit and listened.

His eyes narrowed at first because he heard Momo and Eiji bad-mouthing him.

They were saying stuff like, "idiot", "dork", "unbelievably stupid" and "maybe gay", all linked to "Echizen" and "Ochibi". He was annoyed and was about to go inside and stop their tirade of insults when he heard the name "Ryuzaki-chan" from Fuji's mouth.

He listened in disbelieve when Fuji said that Ryuzaki was happy at Rikkai Dai now and they should be happy for her. He dropped his bag and it fell against the door.

All the regulars looked up at the noise and saw a stunned Ryoma standing there.

They knew at once what had happened and strangely enough, this time it was Fuji who gave the game away. Fickle Lady Luck must not be smiling at him this day, Fuji thought.

Ryoma said in a stilted voice, "Ryuzaki is… at Rikkai Dai?"

With that, he turned and ran.

Momo and Kaidou immediately ran after him but for once they could only see him going faster and faster.

Fuji came cycling out after them on Kaidou's bike; he had picked the lock that Kaidou used to secure his bike and threw their bags at them, "Make your way to the station; we're going to catch Ryoma or we'll be going to Rikkai today."

Kaidou was annoyed but was much too polite to talk back to Fuji who was his senior. He settled for hissing and running even faster.

Momo, thinking that Kaidou wanted to race, yelled, "Mamushi, I'll be at the station quicker, just you wait!"

Therefore these two forgot that they were supposed to be chasing Ryoma and began racing each other.

Meanwhile, the rest: Tezuka, Oishi, Eiji and Inui were off in various directions.

Oishi and Eiji spread the news that practice was cancelled today. Then they met up with Tezuka who was waiting by the front door with their bags.

Since there were four of them, he had ordered a taxi to the station. Inui was with him, trying to call Yanagi who was not answering. Tezuka told him to leave a message and try again later. Inui agreed thinking that it was no use panicking.

He thought that Echizen was only unpredictable on the court but it turned out that he was wrong and with the thought that he had so much more to learn and record, he got into the taxi with the others.

Along the way, they saw Momo and Kaidou running like two madmen, exchanging insults as they ran. Eiji laughed at them, while Oishi held his head and wished he had not seen this. Tezuka just ignored them and Inui mentally calculated how fast each was going.

They passed them and reached the station to see Fuji standing by the entrance with Kaidou's bike.

He saw them arrive and shook his head at Tezuka, meaning that he could not catch Ryoma.

When Momo and Kaidou arrived together, out of breath and panting heavily, though still exchanging insults, Fuji told them that he arrived on the bike just in time to seeing Ryoma run inside.

He was not quick enough to catch him but he did see the younger boy hop onto the train going in the direction of Kanagawa. They could take the next train and hopefully find him at Rikkai Dai.

They all agreed and while Kaidou secured his bike at the bicycle stands that were available, he thought that he must get a numbered lock next time.

The train would not be there for the next few minutes and Momo and Eiji were both thinking optimistically that they might as well treat this as an outing.

They went along to one of the shops at the station that sells bento and bought a load of them to share and eat on the train. Momo also bought a lot of junk food and some soft drinks.

Oishi, Fuji, Inui and Tezuka waited patiently at the platform with their bags at their feet.

Inui was trying to call Yanagi again and finally Yanagi answered the phone. Inui quickly explained the situation to his friend. Yanagi said that he would tell Yukimura and the others and they would watch out for Echizen.

They were both hoping that they could catch the younger boy before he saw Sakuno.

As Inui hung up the phone, the others arrived; Momo and Eiji were carrying bags of food and Kaidou was following them, also carrying a few bags that Eiji had told him to carry.

Fuji smiled when he saw Kaidou, "Kaidou, I'm sorry for borrowing your bike without asking you but you really should get a better lock. The one you had was too easy to pick."

Kaidou answered, "Hai…" He was thinking that only Fuji-senpai would go and do something like and make it sound like it was Kaidou's fault for letting him pick his lock.

Not one of them blamed Fuji for the plan that had gone awry because he was Fuji. If it had been Momo or Eiji or even Inui, all of them would have pounced at once.

As it was, no time was wasted on blaming the culprit and instead they were concentrating on fixing it.

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Very soon the train arrived and the Seigaku regulars got on the train and sat down.

Oishi was wondering if he should make them call their families and say that they might be rather late tonight.

Although most of them were eighteen, they were still living at home and should call when they would not be coming home for dinner. He thought that it was the right thing to do and was about to say so, when Fuji had already gotten out his phone and the others had followed his example.

After making sure that they would not get lectured on being ungrateful little brats who did not appreciate their mothers' cooking enough to even tell them when they were not coming home for dinner, the lot started to tuck in the bento that Momo and Eiji had gotten.


	23. Ryoma on the Train

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis._

**Author's Words about this Chapter:** _This was a particularly confusing chapter because I was trying to see through Ryoma's eyes into his memories and thoughts. Please bear with it if you, fellow-reader, find it strange. Also please tell me if you have any comments because Ryoma was a really difficult character for me and I would like to know what you thought of my interpretation of him._

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Ryoma on the Train**

Meanwhile, on an earlier train, Ryoma was sitting alone. He was staring out the window, lost in memories.

He remembered Ryuzaki with her long braids and shy smile.

He remembered that day they were both on duty in class. They had to stay after school and note down everything that had happened in the class journal.

There were only the two of them in the classroom; everyone else had left.

Ryuzaki was doing the writing because her penmanship was neater. He was feeling sleepy and bored as he always did when he was not playing tennis. The next thing he knew was Ryuzaki shaking his arm and calling his name.

Apparently, he had fallen asleep and she had finished writing.

After waking him up, Ryuzaki had taken her hand off his arm, blushing like she always did around him.

Everyone thought he did not notice but he did.

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He noticed everything about her since they turned fifteen and was in the last year of junior high.

He knew that she had a crush on him but he never acted as if he cared because he hated being teased by the Seigaku regulars.

He always practiced with them, even when they went up to the senior section because he simply had no one who could compete with him in the junior section when he was in his last year.

He thought that they would always be like this; Ryuzaki and him.

He never thought that they would become a couple because even though he noticed her, he did not know what he felt about her.

It was too complicated and he disliked complicated things. Moreover, he was concentrating on his tennis. He was always concentrating on his tennis. He knew that she was aware of that and yet she still liked him.

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That afternoon, he must have been groggy with sleep; his mind still woozy; it must be that because he could not understand why he paid particular attention that day.

He could remember very clearly that he was paying more attention than usual, spending time just looking at her face, all pink and soft.

Her face was not too round and not too thin, just the right oval shape.

It looked sweet; she looked sweet. He remembered thinking if she tasted sweet too, he did not understand why he was thinking that, he thought that it must be because he did not have enough Ponta that day.

It must be the lack of sugar and the dimness of the classroom. It made everything rather hazy to him, even with his super eyesight.

He ignored the fact that even before that day, he had started to notice certain things about a girl's body, actually if he was more truthful, her body to be exact, not that he was worked up about it the way some boys would be. He just… noticed and then shrugged it off. It could not be that interesting if he could shrug it off.

Ryuzaki was not prettier than any other girl though her eyes did not glimmer with calculation like some of the other girls he saw looking at him; those he avoided like the plague. They gave him the unpleasant feeling that he was being stripped naked.

Ryuzaki's body was also not too outstanding; it was trim and fit without all the muscles even though she trained. He suspected she spent half of her training time fallen down and getting up again. He would not put it past her.

She was always tripping one thing or another. He noticed that about her, oh, and he noticed that she was always lost.

He noticed that she was not too bright in class as well, though she worked hard and was a good student but that was because of her own efforts and not any natural talent.

He noticed that she would go to the library if there was no club practice that day. She used to spend those afternoons watching the regulars practice… no, she had once confessed shyly that it was him that drew her. Later she thought that since he never seemed to notice her, she would rather spend the time trying to study.

He noticed even if she spent her afternoon in the library, she would come out just as the regulars finished practicing. She would say goodbye to him softly and he would answer, then she would smile softly and leave.

He noticed so many things about her but he rarely talked to her.

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He did not think of her regularly but he would just see her when she was around.

That day, she was not only the only one around but she was right in front of him.

They were sitting at the same desk, across from each other, and she was peering at him with a worried expression. He had spaced out again.

Her forehead was gently puckered and without thinking; he said that his mind was still woozy; he lifted his hand and smoothed her frown away. She was supposed to be all soft and smooth; there, that looked better.

She blushed again and he had thought that her face must be hot with all the blood going there.

He had not noticed that he let his hand linger on her cheek until he knew that her face was hot.

He was somewhat surprised and he thought that he must be under a spell. It was strange and peaceful; neither of them spoke.

She tried to but no voice came out.

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He had not understood this crush she had on him.

They were not close and yet she would do things for him.

She would support him at games and ask after him. She would make food and ask him if he wanted some; he always said yes because she was a good cook and there was no point in refusing free food.

He noticed that she always looked happier after he ate whatever it was that she made.

He never suspected that she would put weird ingredients in it.

He suspected everyone else's though, after some stories told by his senpai-tachi.

Eiji-senpai said that he had once passed the cooking classroom while there was a class in there and his eyes, those extraordinary eyes, had spied a girl secretly mixed in some of her own hair in the saucepan and had chanted something.

He recognized that same girl going up to Momo at lunchtime with a bento. Momo had accepted it happily and when the girl had left, Eiji had popped out and told Momo what he saw. They were freaked.

After that, all the regulars became wary about accepting strange food from any girl. He was the same but for some reason; he always ate Ryuzaki's food.

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He was always someone to take action when he wanted to, rather like a cat, people had said. He did not mind because as long as he got what he wanted, what people said never mattered.

He remembered that she had trembled slightly when he started to stroke her cheek absentmindedly.

It was so soft, like velvet, very warm velvet and he had thought that he might have decided to do this sooner if he had known how comfortable it would feel.

Suddenly she stood up and started stammering something about needing to hand in the class journal and other nonsense.

He had narrowed his eyes in annoyance. He had been enjoying himself and he did not want her to go.

He caught her wrist and pulled her down onto his lap. He had then resumed his stroking, his eyes half-shut with pleasure.

She had squeaked, "R-R-Ryoma-kun?" She had tried to get up again but was held tightly by his other arm which had snaked around her waist.

He never knew that a girl could be so soft, or was it just her?

Suddenly an image of Momo-senpai and his stupid father had popped out and they were saying stuff like, "Tell her you like her!" and "If you don't, someone else will be doing this to her!"

He never listened to these two when it came to girls but that moment he was fully awake at the thought of someone else stroking her cheek.

He was surprised by the nasty feelings it evoked. He did not like those feelings but at that moment, he was more concerned about the 'someone else'.

He was wide awake now and he was also aware of what he had been doing.

He may not have understood what it meant for him but he did understand that when he wanted something, he had to get it by himself.

He put her down from his lap and stood up facing her, "Ryuzaki, become my girlfriend."

She had squeaked, "What!" and her knees promptly gave out and she slid down to the floor, looking up at him with unbelieving eyes.

He had followed her progress with amusement and knelt down in front of her, "Become my girlfriend, Ryuzaki."

She had stared at him and just as sudden as his words, drops of tears started to trickle down her cheeks.

He was flustered now and not knowing what to say, had pulled her into his embrace. She tensed but soon put her arms around him tentatively.

In between her sobs, he could hear her say, "H-hai…"

He was pleased, ridiculously so. That day they did not have practice and he walked her home, holding her hand.

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When everyone found out, he had to put up with a lot of teasing.

Momo and Eiji had teased him about being in love and he had answered, "I'm not in love."

They had thought that he was being shy but at that moment, he was serious. He truly believed that he was not in love. He merely did not like the idea of someone else touching her.

To him, becoming a couple with Ryuzaki did not change anything.

It just gave him the right to touch her and hug her and kiss her. He liked all of these and he liked to do them with Ryuzaki because she was so gentle and soft.

He did not change the way he acted and neither did Ryuzaki. They still had lunch with the same friends and sometimes she would look at him with a strange look but he never thought about what it might mean.

He still did not know what it was that made two people a couple.

For him, it was just that she was his girlfriend and that was it.

Well, he did start to walk her home each day because she would wait for him until after practice and it seemed like the right thing to do.

He did not especially want to see her because she was always there. He would say that he did not have the chance to miss her until she became ill and was absent from school.

That day was not a nice day.

He kept unconsciously looking out for her and when his friends teased him about missing her, he realized that what he was doing was missing her.

He immediately went into self-denial mode and when he was on the rooftop trying not to miss her, her friend, Osakada came up.

He usually made it a habit to avoid her because she was loud and noisy and utterly too bold. When they were in junior high, he had learnt to just tune her out.

He was caught this time because she came up with the intent to speak to him and he could not leave without being too rude.

She had said, "I came up today because Sakuno was not here and I just wanted to tell you something, Ryoma-sama."

He had just looked at her.

She continued, "I am not asking you to give me an answer or anything because I know that you like Sakuno."

He had not liked her words, thinking why did everyone have to say that? He did not like her, he just liked being with her. It was different, wasn't it?

She said, "Ever since I first saw you in our first year in junior high, I have liked you a lot. I just want to end my crush with a kiss. Just one kiss so I can treasure it and put an end to this crush."

He had been surprised but he had shrugged and thought that since it was just a kiss, what harm could it do? Besides, he was mildly curious if it was only Ryuzaki's kisses that were so sweet or maybe other girls' kisses would taste just sweet.

For him, it did not mean anything because he was only curious and if one kiss could put a stop to her yelling "Ryoma-sama", then he reckoned that he had a bargain. So he kissed her.

How was he to know the timing was crap because Ryuzaki saw them and ran off. Then there was the accident and she disappeared.

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His hell began.

He started to miss her like crazy and he would ask Ryuzaki-sensei to tell him where she was but she always looked at him with disappointment and shake her head, saying, "Let it go, Ryoma."

He tried asking Inui-senpai but he could tell nothing because he knew nothing.

He always had to avoid Osakada but now, it was her who avoided him.

Momo-senpai had asked him about it and he told him. Momo-senpai had been shocked that he had cheated on his girlfriend but he did not think that it was cheating.

He told Momo-senpai so and Momo-senpai had shook his head and said that he now understood why Ryuzaki-sensei did not tell him anything.

Well, Momo-senpai had understood but he did not and no one explained him, not that he asked.

All this time, he had been worried and frustrated and his world seemed upside-down. He did not know why. He could not understand it. He was in a constant state of confusion and not even playing tennis could totally clear his mind anymore!

Out of all the confusion, he was just aware of one thing and that was he wanted to see her.

With that thought, he stepped off the train and made his way to Rikkai Dai.


	24. The Teams Meet up

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis._

**Chapter Twenty-Four: The Teams Meet up**

Sakuno finished changing her clothes and waited for Miyu who was talking to another girl in their tennis club. After she had finished, the two girls walked towards the entrance of their school.

They were talking excitedly about tomorrow's sleepover. Well, Miyu was talking excitedly about the sleepover because this was her first time and Sakuno listened.

She had not seen such a child-like, excited Miyu before and she was happy that she was getting to know more about her friend. Miyu made her comfortable and she felt that she could share everything with her.

They were almost at the entrance when Miyu's phone rang. They stopped and Miyu answered. It was her brother.

Sakuno stepped away a bit to give her some privacy; even if they were friends, this would be the polite thing to do. She wondered what Yukimura-senpai could be saying because Miyu looked serious and then worried.

She did not notice the boy who was coming towards her until he called out in a rough voice, "Ryuzaki!"

She turned towards the voice, wearing her usual gentle but friendly smile. She did not know this person… though he seemed more familiar as he came closer and closer and stopped in front of her.

Something about his eyes or was it his face mesmerized her and she unconsciously let go of her bag to lift a hand to brush away the untidy hair that was preventing her from taking a good look at his face.

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At this moment she was not aware of anything else, not Miyu who had stopped talking on the phone and was now talking frantically again, not her bag which had dropped to the ground and not even this boy's hand on her arm.

She was only aware of his face which seemed so familiar. She murmured, "Who… are you? Do I know you?"

Ryoma was stunned at her words and he grasped her shoulders, speaking in a slightly frantic tone, "I'm Echizen, Echizen Ryoma! What do you mean do you know me!"

He had a sense of dread; a stone that was getting heavier in his stomach. He was rarely afraid but he was starting to feel afraid now.

He had the feeling of impending doom; the feeling that something was not right; he felt that he was about to lose something important to him that he did not even know was important.

Suddenly, Sakuno's headache returned at full force, striking her fiercely and she clutched her head in pain.

She was attacked by so many images at the same time that she could only hold her head tightly and she knelt down and wanted to curl up as tightly as possible, hoping instinctively that it would lessen her pain.

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Miyu saw what was happening and she ran to her friend and pushed the boy away.

She had known who he was from a picture that Yanagi had shown her. She wrapped her arms around Sakuno protectively, glaring at this intruder. She heard footsteps from two directions.

The Rikkai regulars had been gathered together after a quick search in the school to ensure that Echizen had not yet arrived. Yanagi had asked Yukimura to call Miyu and tell her the news.

They were talking and when Miyu had yelled to her brother, she had been so loud that everyone had heard, "He's here at the entrance."

They had raced to the entrance only to see the Sakuno curled up against Miyu, her arms around her head and her expression was one of pain. Miyu was looking angrily at Echizen, as if daring him to closer.

At the same time, they saw the Seigaku regulars run in.

They stopped as soon as they caught of Echizen and then, with shock, Sakuno in Miyu's arms.

They went towards Ryoma and Tezuka said even more solemnly than usual, "She lost all memory of us… and you when she woke up in the hospital after the accident."

He did not know if the boy heard him but he went on anyway, "Ryuzaki-sensei sent her away as soon as she recovered and we only found out this week where she was: here."

Ryoma said without turning around, "She… forgot me?" His voice was low and those short words were filled with suppressed emotions. Momo would have put his hand on his friend's shoulder but when he heard Ryoma's voice, he hesitated and dropped his arm back to his side.

Oishi, Eiji and Kaidou were staring at Sakuno; they did not think they had ever seen such pain before.

Fuji and Inui, though they had a taste of it, were still shocked at the depth of pain that seemed to be breaking the young girl apart.

Not one of them had any thoughts of fighting now; the Seigaku regulars were standing there in shock and the Rikkai regulars were too worried about Sakuno.

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Akaya, Bunta and Niou had rushed forward, frantic to reach Sakuno's side. The others were just behind them.

Yukimura suppressed his feelings for the moment, knowing that he needed to talk to Tezuka.

He went up to the other buchou, "Tezuka, although it is one day early, let us go to my house where we can have some privacy."

Tezuka nodded, "Thank you, Yukimura." They both knew that this was not the time for polite greetings.

Tezuka turned to his team and told them that they would be going to Yukimura's house as planned.

Yukimura turned and was about to do the same thing when he saw Echizen standing there, not moving, obviously in shock.

He went up to him and his face was coldly expressionless. He slapped the younger boy across the face sharply; the sound attracting everyone's attention.

He said, "Pull yourself together if you care." With that he walked back to this team.

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Everyone was shocked; they had never seen Yukimura slap anyone, he never needed to. People would just do what he told them because he had that charisma and power.

Even Miyu was scared by the expression that was not on her brother's face. She had never seen him so angry before.

She was stilling holding Sakuno who had passed out because she was hurting too much. Niou was about to pick her up when Yukimura showed up. They glared at each other.

Miyu thought that Niou-senpai was very brave to not be afraid of her brother when he was like this.

Sanada ignored the both of them and gently gathered the girl in his arms.

Sakuno looked so small and seemed so fragile against his much taller and muscular frame. She gave the image of a broken doll.

Her protector looked at her gently before saying to Yukimura and Niou, "I'll carry her, lead the way, Seiichi."

They got up and started to walk silently.

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After being slapped, Ryoma had jerked out of his shock and had followed behind Momo without a word.

Along the way, Bunta, Akaya, Miyu and Jackal hovered around Sanada, wanting to be with Sakuno but afraid of crowding her.

The Seigaku regulars did not feel as if they had the right to be near Sakuno and they kept their distance.

When they got into Yukimura's house, he showed them into the living room and everyone sat down somewhere.

It could have been an unconscious decision on everyone's part because they ended up dividing themselves into two groups facing each other from across the coffee table.

Miyu had led Sanada upstairs to her bedroom and they put Sakuno onto Miyu's bed, covering her with the blankets so that she would not be cold.

Miyu did not come down with Sanada; she wanted to stay with Sakuno. She did not look as if she was peaceful; there was a frown between her eyebrows and Miyu was sad for her friend.

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When Sanada went into the living room, he saw all faces turned towards him. They were all waiting for him to say something about Sakuno.

He looked back at them and said, "She's still not awake. Miyu's with her."

He went in and sat down next to Yukimura. No one was speaking, not that they wanted to because it was still strange with so many lively people around.

Yanagi got and said to no one in general, "I'll go and make tea." He was familiar with the Yukimura kitchen and did not wait for Seiichi's permission.

Inui said, "I'll help Renji." He got up also and Oishi, not trusting these two not to poison everyone, unintentionally of course, got up after them.

Yagyuu deemed it his duty to help and he also went to the kitchen.

The silence was now broken and Eiji said worriedly, "I hope Ryuzaki-chan's alright, nya."

Akaya smirked angrily, "I'm sure she's fine; after all she just collapsed, right, Kikumaru-san?"

Eiji looked abashed and Sanada snapped, "Akaya! Watch your tongue!"

Akaya turned away insolently; he was worried and angry and he did not care if he was being rude.

Momo did not like Akaya's attitude towards Eiji but he could not say anything because he felt that the Rikkai people had the right to be mad. He rubbed the back of his head, not used to keeping quiet.

Kaidou, on the other hand, had no problem being quiet. He just stood at a corner, hands in pockets.

Fuji was without his usual smile and he said neutrally, "I wonder if they need help in the kitchen."

Yukimura looked at him and answered, making polite conversation, "They should be alright. I should apologize for being a bad host and not asking earlier but is anyone hungry? Maybe we should order some food while we wait for Sakuno to wake up."

If the Seigaku boys were surprised at Yukimura's free use of Sakuno's name, they did not show it.

Tezuka answered, "No, that would be fine, thank you. We ate on the train." At the same time, Momo had said, "Oh yes, please, I am a bit hungry."

Tezuka snapped at Momo directly, "Momo, we just ate on the train!" Momo looked embarrassed, "Uh, hai, buchou. Gomen-nasai, Yukimura-san."

Yukimura smiled neutrally, "It's fine, I will go and order some food anyway; we still need to eat." He got up and they could hear him ordering pizza and some Japanese ramen.

Bunta was leaning against the back of the couch, looking upwards silently, well, without a word because he was blowing his bubble-gum and popping it occasionally. He ignored the Seigaku boys, just worrying about Sakuno.

Niou was also silent but he was off by one side because he was smoldering inside; torn between wanting to go and be with Sakuno and wanting to trash the place in anger.

He did neither, not wanting to show anything in front of these Seigaku enemies, especially Enemy Number One – Echizen Ryoma. After this, he swore to himself that he was going to get back at this Enemy Number One, just to work off some spite.

Sanada looked towards the kitchen thinking that making tea should not take that long. However, he thought that since there was no noise, it meant everything was fine.

He did not know that he was far from right.

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When the four had gone into the kitchen, Yanagi had gotten the tea cups and tea-pot out. He had also gotten the tea leaves and some other ingredients.

Inui knew at once what they were for. They had worked out a new recipe over the net a while ago and had not tried it yet.

Oishi, who was familiar with Inui's little expressions, asked Yanagi what he was going to do with the extra ingredients.

Yagyuu was quick to catch because he had also tried the famed Penal-Tea and knew them to be highly toxic to the mind and taste-buds.

He tried to step forward and put the 'extras' away but Inui stepped in front of him, saying logically, "We were so quiet and lifeless in there. We need this Extra Special Waking up the Mind and Body Tea. Yagyuu, this is not Penal-Tea; it is simply a normal green tea with some added ingredients that can be found in any kitchen."

Yagyuu did not know how to counter that and he looked at Oishi for help. Yanagi was looking at them, waiting for the water to boil.

Oishi said, "But Inui, I'm sure everyone's fine; we can have your tea another time, right? Besides, I'm sure that everyone's too worried at the moment to drink tea that has…" He glanced at the 'extras' and tried not to shudder, "…that has wasabi, lemon juice, black pepper, salt, sugar, onions and honey in it"

Inui tsked and shook his head, "Oishi, you don't understand the brilliance of it. Renji and I spent half the night at our computers talking to each other, trying to work out a simple recipe that everyone can make with ingredients that are cheap, healthy and easy to find.

The Penal-Tea that I usually make contains ingredients that are hard to find and have to be hand-picked and fresh. This one is much less lethal on the taste-buds, I promise."

Yagyuu and Oishi looked skeptical and Yagyuu asked politely, "Then, can you two explain what these simple ingredients would do that is so amazing?"

He was still trying to find a way to avoid the inevitable.

Yanagi smiled, "I was waiting for that question, right, Sadaharu?"

Inui nodded and Yanagi continued, "First, while we are boiling the water, we put the tea leaves into the tea-pot. We then add the sugar into a bowl. The number of teaspoonfuls must be the same as the number of people that we are making tea for.

Since we have sixteen people in the living room, ah, no, we must not forget Miyu and Sakuno, eighteen people; we will add eighteen teaspoonfuls of sugar. This is for energy, one teaspoonful for each person.

Then, we add half that amount of salt, to lessen the sweetness because this is tea after all. Nine teaspoonfuls of salt."

As Oishi and Yagyuu listened in sick fascination, they did not notice that while Yanagi was speaking, Inui had been following the instructions that Yanagi had said.

Yanagi went on, "Then we add five heavy shakes of black pepper into the mixture. The black pepper is for its aromatic purposes, to add flavour to the tea in terms of smell. This is to help wake you up.

With the wasabi, we first mix it with hot water to make it less dense and more watery. How much you add depends on the person you want to wake up because some people react easily to it and some people don't. In this case, we shall add a generous dose because everyone's much too lifeless in there.

After we pour hot water into the tea-pot until it is half-filled, then we add the mixture together with the watered-down wasabi. The wasabi is for both for smell and taste. It is essential for the waking up process.

Then we add three spoonfuls of honey and add more hot water. We put the lid back on to let it steam a bit. The honey is meant to give more energy and add a bit of unique sweetness to the tea. That is our hope that people will recognize our tea by taste alone, like a brand.

Meanwhile, we dice the onion, not too much and then add it to the steaming tea. It is to add a unique spiciness to the taste.

Lastly we add one spoonful of lemon juice into the tea to tone down the color. It adds a certain translucent texture to the color of the tea and makes it appear more alluring."

By the time he had finished the explanation, Inui had also finished making the Extra Special Waking up the Mind and Body Tea and was putting the cups and tea-pot onto the trays that Yanagi had taken out.

Oishi was speechless at Yanagi and Inui's performance; Yagyuu had taken his glasses off and was wiping them repeated, stunned that anyone could come up with such an invention.

They were both determined not to drink the tea and already pitied the ones who would drink it. Yanagi and Inui took the trays into the living room and Oishi and Yagyuu followed, both worried at what would happen.

**Author's Warning: The recipe for the 'tea' was purely fiction so don't try it!**


	25. Sakuno

_Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis does not belong to me._

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Sakuno**

Inui and Yanagi put the trays down onto the coffee table and started to pour the tea into the cups.

Oishi and Yagyuu were staying away from the coffee table. They could see that the 'tea' that came out was actually normal green-tea-looking and they were impressed. However, nothing would induce them to try the stuff.

The four waited with bated breath for someone to drink the 'tea'.

Sanada, Fuji and Tezuka all took a cup. Fuji took a sip and smiled, "You guys make great tea." He took another sip. Inui and Yanagi were pleased and they both had their notebooks ready.

Oishi and Yagyuu were the only ones who noticed; all the others were too distracted by their own thoughts to pay attention. Oishi was not surprised that Fuji would drink it and say that it was good but Yagyuu was impressed.

He thought that maybe it actually tasted quite good. He still waited for second 'opinion' before trying to drink it but before Tezuka and Sanada could drink their tea, the door bell rang and Sanada went to answer it because he was closer to the door than Yukimura.

Tezuka, thinking that it was the food Yukimura ordered, went to help Sanada and put down his cup. They put the food in the kitchen and went back to the living room. Yukimura said, "If anyone's hungry, they can help themselves. I will get some cutlery and plates ready."

He went into the kitchen to get chopsticks, plates, knives and forks. Momo wanted to follow but after Tezuka's words, did not dare. Tezuka saw his woebegone face, sighed and said, "Go and eat, Momo."

Momo leapt up and hurried to the kitchen, Eiji and Jackal after him. It was strange that Bunta did not move at the mention of food but he was really worried so his appetite had gone to sleep.

Niou decided that he might as well have some food; anything was better than not being able to do what he wanted.

Kaidou also went into the kitchen; he had run a race with Momo after all.

Inui and Yanagi were still by the coffee table, waiting patiently for someone else to try their tea. Fuji was pouring himself another cup.

Yagyuu made a move as if he wanted to brave the tea but Oishi shook his head at him in warning. They were standing between Inui and Yanagi so they could not see but Yagyuu and Oishi retreated to the kitchen.

Sanada and Tezuka decided that they had better help Yukimura in the kitchen so they also left the living room.

The ones left were mostly spaced out. The spaced out ones were Bunta and Ryoma. Akaya was also keeping himself to himself. Fuji was already drinking the tea and Inui and Yanagi thought that maybe they could wait until everyone's finished eating and then serve the tea.

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Upstairs, in Miyu's room, Sakuno was tossing and turning. She was remembering the things that were lost.

In her sleep, she remembered meeting Ryoma in the train when they were twelve.

She remembered seeing him at her school; she was so surprised and happy.

She remembered that Tomo-chan and she talked about Ryoma together.

She remembered watching him play against all those opponents and that Tomo-chan had cheered loudly, while she was too shy to do the same.

She saw them in different classes when they were in the second year and she was so disappointed she almost cried.

She remembered and remembered and her memories flowed back until she remembered that day when he said to her to become his girlfriend and she had cried.

She remembered the initial happiness; then the gradual insecurity; then she was ill and she saw them kissing, the two most precious people to her, kissing on the rooftop.

She remembered running away and the car coming towards and… and she woke up.

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Sakuno opened her eyes tiredly; she felt as if she had raced all the way from when she was twelve to when she was sixteen, now in the present. She looked blankly at the ceiling, not knowing where she was.

Then she noticed that someone was beside her. It was Miyu, lovely Miyu who listened to her and took care of her and stayed by her side.

Miyu had seen Sakuno open her eyes and when Sakuno turned towards her, she was afraid that Sakuno might have forgotten her that she did not speak.

Sakuno smiled and said hoarsely, "M-Miyu-chan…" Miyu did something she had not done in ages, she burst into tears.

Sakuno was shocked and distressed. She tried to get up but found her body to be too weak. She settled for saying softly, "Miyu-chan, don't cry; I'm alright, don't cry, ne? You won't be pretty if you cry, Miyu-chan?"

Miyu stopped her tears and sniffled, "That's words for a child, Sakuno." She was only crying because she was so relieved that Sakuno sounded fine and that she remembered her.

She was never one to cry for long. She got a tissue and blew her noise noisily.

Miyu said to Sakuno, "Do… do you remember who you saw before you collapsed?"

She was hesitant because she was scared that Sakuno would have a headache again but she had to ask.

Sakuno smiled sadly and nodded, "I remember. I remember all of it. Where is he, Miyu-chan? I need to speak to him." Miyu did not really want her to but she answered anyway, "We are in my house. Everyone's downstairs." Sakuno was puzzled, "Everyone?"

Miyu looked down for a second and looked at Sakuno, "Well… Sakuno… it was like this…" She explained everything, again leaving the matchmaking bit out.

Sakuno listened quietly and when Miyu was finished, she held out a hand to Miyu and her eyes glittered with tears, "Miyu-chan, thank you so much for all that you did and was willing to do for me… no one's ever cared enough to find out what had happened. Obaa-chan cared but it was different for her. She was too careful of me to do more, so she just sent me away. Thank you, Miyu-chan."

Sakuno's mind was clear now and she knew what she had to say. She was glad that the Seigaku regulars were here because they were part of her life for so long and she was not a part of theirs. She knew that Ryoma was part of their lives though and they would be there for him. They needed to know as well.

Miyu was touched by Sakuno's simple forgiveness. She could have been so angry at Miyu for poking her nose where it did not belong and yet she did not.

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She understood why Miyu and the Rikkai regulars did what they did and was thankful for it.

Sakuno wanted to go downstairs and she asked Miyu to help her. Miyu told her to wait a second and she dashed down to get someone from the living room.

She did not expect to find it nearly empty though and annoyed, she kicked the spaced-out Bunta and told Akaya to follow her.

Bunta was startled and his bubble-gum burst and plastered itself over his face.

Akaya went with Miyu, not liking it that she could just order him around but having no choice about it. He put it down to a natural reaction because his older sister would order him around at home. Besides, they were going upstairs and he wanted to see his Saku-no-bunny.

They went into Miyu's room and he saw Sakuno. He rushed over to her and pulled her up into a tight hug. He had been so worried.

Sakuno laughed a little at this blatant display of affection, "Ittai yo, Akaya-senpai."

Akaya let go of her and looked at her, smiling affectionately, his smirk gone and he said, "I'm glad you're alright, Saku-no-bunny. Do you want me to beat Echizen for you?"

Sakuno looked alarmed and Miyu knocked Akaya on the head lightly, "Don't be silly, Akaya-senpai. Sakuno wants to go downstairs. I can't carry her and be sure not to fall down. You're stronger so you do it."

Akaya did not even mind at her rude authoritative tone this time. He just grinned and pecked Sakuno on the cheek, saying, "As you wish, Saku-no-bunny."

Sakuno blushed and protested, as usual that she was not a bunny. Akaya laughed out loud to hear her say these familiar words; she was still herself and all was fine in Akaya's world.

Well, it could be better if he could have a go at Echizen now but since she did not seem to like it, he could wait until they were facing each other across the court.

He descended the stairs carefully, telling Miyu to walk in front of him. She did so and asked why.

Akaya answered cheekily, "If I unfortunately lose my step and fall, you could be my cushion." For that, Miyu vowed to give him a good kick later.

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They went into the living room. Bunta had already gotten the bubble-gum off his face, having had a lot of practice.

He saw Sakuno in Akaya's arms and bounced up, saying loudly enough for the people in the kitchen to hear, "Sakuno-chan! Sakuno-chan!" He wanted to hold her as well but Akaya was not letting go of her easily.

Ryoma was out of his 'space' and was staring at Sakuno. He had never seen such a care-free expression on her face and he was shocked, wondering if this was the same girl he knew.

Fuji had put down his 'tea' and smiled genuinely at the sight of Bunta and Akaya going around in circles. They continued to do so until Sanada appeared and caught Bunta by his collar.

He would have done the same to Akaya except he was carrying precious cargo. Seeing Sanada, Akaya decided he had better not push his luck and gently placed Sakuno on the couch. She said softly that she wanted to sit up and he complied.

Miyu had wanted to pour some tea for her but Fuji had stopped her, saying that all the 'tea' in the pot was gone.

Miyu shrugged and went to get her a cup of water instead.

Niou had come into the living room immediately after he heard Bunta and he went over and gave Sakuno a hug. He was pleased when Sakuno hugged him back. He then released her and rested his forehead against hers, asking, "Are you sure you're up to this, Sakuno?"

Sakuno looked up into his eyes and smiled, "Hai, Niou-senpai." He stood up and let Jackal have his turn.

Jackal also gave her a bear hug, saying, "Boy, am I glad that you seem okay, next time you have to treat me to another bento for scaring me like that."

Sakuno laughed softly and agreed. She knew that Jackal was joking but she would be pleased to cook for him anyway.

Yagyuu was too reserved to hug her but he did say, "Ryuzaki-san, I hope that you regain your health quickly because there are more books that I want to introduce you to."

Sakuno smiled up at him and said, "Thank you, Yagyuu-senpai." He nodded pleased at her answer.

Sanada knelt in front of her and said in a soft voice, "You are really fine, Sakuno?"

She looked at Sanada and saw the concern in his eyes. She held out her arms to hug him; to reassure him that she was fine and to thank him for caring and carrying her. She knew because Miyu had told her.

Sanada was stunned by her honest display of affection.

The Seigaku regulars were also stunned; they now understood; really understood what Fuji had been telling them; they had missed the chance and now the Rikkai regulars were taking it and receiving it with open arms.

Sakuno released him and she smiled shyly at Sanada. He gruffly patted her head and got up, a bit embarrassed but mostly pleased.

Yanagi sat by one side with Inui, observing it all and leaving the hugging and patting to his friends. He was glad that Sakuno was alright and at ease with his team-mates.

Yukimura came up to Sakuno and smiled such a warm smile that everyone marveled at the change from his earlier cold self to this totally different one.

Yukimura hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek, saying without words how happy he was and how much he cared.

Sakuno blushed at him for kissing her in front of everyone, even if it was only on the cheek but she understood what he was trying to convey and hugged him back.

Miyu came back and gave Sakuno a glass of water which Sakuno drank.

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She sat back and now that her friends had gathered around her, she looked at her past.

She saw Tezuka, stoic as ever.

She saw Inui sitting with Yanagi with their notebooks and thought that some things never changed.

She looked at Kaidou who gave her a quick nod.

She looked at Oishi who smiled in his open, friendly way.

She saw Eiji who winked at her mischievously.

She looked at Momo who gave her a thumbs-up.

She saw Fuji who was smiling one of his rare smiles, a genuinely happy smile and not an amused one.

At last, she looked at Ryoma who had been silent and had been looking at her.

Sakuno took a deep breath and reminded herself that she was not alone and she had to do it.

She had to say goodbye, "Gomen ne, Ryoma-kun." Ryoma started at her words and his eyes widened.

Sakuno went on, "Gomen ne, I didn't mean to forget you, Ryoma-kun but I'm glad that I did. I was unhappy at Seigaku."

She paused and Fuji took the chance to say, "Maybe we should leave…"

Sakuno said quickly, "No, I need everyone to hear because I-I don't think I can say it again. Please, stay."

Fuji nodded. He already had some idea of her resolve and he regretted it.

She continued, "I-I was really happy to be your girlfriend, Ryoma-kun. You were like a dream prince to me and when you chose me to be your princess, I was so happy. However it wasn't enough. I needed more than a dream and the reality was more than I could take. Our feelings did not reach each other."

Ryoma protested, "No, Ryuzaki, I knew that you liked me, I knew that!"

Sakuno smiled sadly, "Ryoma-kun, you knew but you didn't feel my heart and I couldn't feel your heart. You were a dream from the beginning and to the end, you did not get any closer. You were always elusive and I am glad that I forgot you because I needed the rest. You were my dream for three years and more.

I couldn't forget you and I was never happy because there's a limit to how much I could give without receiving. Forgive me but I needed more than what you were willing to give. Do you understand, Ryoma-kun?"

Ryoma nodded, unwillingly but he understood.

He was realizing his earlier fears now, "Can't you give me another chance? Ryuzaki, come back and give me another chance!"

Sakuno looked pained but she was determined and she shook her head, "I'm sorry but I can't go back to Seigaku because it was not only you. I was not happy at Seigaku. Everything there was stifling me. Everyone was stifling me.

I was never just me – Ryuzaki Sakuno. In the beginning, I was Obaa-chan granddaughter; then I became Tomo-chan's friend; in the end, I was Echizen's girlfriend.

Everyone was too bright and I couldn't see myself anymore so no one could see me.

I was never as confident as Tomo-chan or as sporty or clever; she was my friend but at the same time she was also crushing me with her presence.

I was not strong enough to stand up and become Ryuzaki Sakuno by myself and would never have become Ryuzaki Sakuno if I hadn't come to Rikkai Dai.

Seigaku is a lovely school and I loved it; I had happy memories there but I was also incomplete.

At Rikkai Dai, I met people who made me complete because they saw me, as myself and not anybody's granddaughter or friend or girlfriend.

They saw me! Just plain, clumsy Sakuno and still they held out their hands to me.

They listened to me when I wanted to talk and they did not just take but they also gave me their care and love.

Miyu-chan took care of me when I was new and became my friend.

Niou-senpai, Bunta-senpai, Akaya-senpai and Jackal-senpai would talk to me and tease me and make me laugh. They made me happy.

Yukimura-senpai, Sanada-senpai and Yanagi-senpai protected me like a sister and I felt safe.

Yagyuu-senpai shared his knowledge and his interests with me.

I feel complete here and I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave!"

Sakuno's voice was shaking but she went on, knowing that if she stopped, she would break down and would not be able to continue, "G-gomen ne, minna.

Gomen ne, Tezuka-san, Fuji-san, Kikumaru-san, Oishi-san, Inui-san, Kaidou-san, Momoshiro-san.

Gomen ne, Ryoma-kun. You are all part of my past and I have had so many good memories of everyone but I want to be with my present now.

I am not going back to Seigaku because I belong at Rikkai Dai now. I will see everyone at games, ne, so sayonara, Seigaku."

Sakuno forced a smile onto her face and seeing that forced smile, Ryoma's face crumpled and he dashed out before he cried in front of her, no longer his girlfriend.

Momo and Eiji ran after him, worried and Tezuka let them.

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He was impressed with Sakuno; he knew it took courage for her to say all that. He was also impressed with her generous heart because not once, did she blame anyone. She just accepted and apologized for everything.

Not everyone could do that and he knew that, as Fuji had said, they had let a treasure go. Perhaps she was never their treasure to hold because they had chances aplenty but no one took it.

He saw her looking at him and he softened his expression as much as he could.

She swallowed and said, "T-Tezuka-san, can you do two things for me, please?"

Tezuka nodded, feeling a pang of regret that he was no longer her senpai, and she said, "Can you tell Obaa-chan my decision and tell her that I miss her and love her very much. Tell her that I will call her." Tezuka nodded; that was easy.

Sakuno bit her lip before saying, "Can you also tell Tomo-chan that I will call her when I am ready?"

It still hurt to think of her friend and she was not sure she could face her just yet. Tezuka said, "It will be done, Ryuzaki."

He got up and made ready to leave. The others followed suit.

Fuji looked at Sakuno before he got up; he did not say anything but he was determined that if he had the chance to see her again he would definitely take it.

Inui had been scribbling every word and he was so pleased that he did not mind that no one other than Fuji had tried the 'tea'.

The Seigaku regulars took their leave and Yukimura saw them off.

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He shut the door after making sure that they had the right directions to the station.

When he went back into the living room, he saw Miyu holding Sakuno. The others were gathered around them; all of them touched by the girl's speech.

Sakuno was still tense and he saw Sanada tap Miyu on the shoulder and when Miyu let go of Sakuno, he held out his arms.

Sakuno bit her lip and flung her arms around Sanada, comforted by the steady presence that so many were afraid of.

She relaxed and started crying loudly, sobbing out her sorrow in these people's presence.

She cried and cried until she fell into a dreamless, restful sleep.

She did not know when Sanada put her in Miyu's bed.

She did not know when the regulars left unwillingly.

She did not know when Yukimura called her relatives and told them that Miyu and she had been so into their schoolwork that she had forgotten to call and that she was asleep with Miyu because they were tired out.

She did not know when Miyu went to sleep in the guest room, knowing that Sakuno would feel guilty if she slept on the floor.

She did not know that Yukimura had come in and gave her a goodnight kiss, on the cheek, of course.

She only knew that she was secure and she was safe with these people at Rikkai Dai.

**The End of Part Two**

**Author's Words: Okay, Part Two is finally finished. Thank you for bearing with and Part Three will be much lighter in tone, I hope. However, do not expect it to be up as soon because I really need a break and soon I will be going home for Christmas so the updates may be irregular. Thank you for all your support during this much longer Part Two. I will look forward to reviews if you feel up to it. Cheers!**


	26. The Summer Holidays

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis._

_Author's Words: Finally Part Three is beginning. _**The first term of high school in Japan begins at the beginning of April and the first holidays they have is the summer holidays.**_ The second holidays will be the winter holidays or as we call it, the Christmas holidays. The last one is the spring holidays._ **Also, when students are in their third year of high school, they usually 'retire' from club activities to prepare for their university entrance exams.**_ These information may be useful when you read this chapter. By the way, please do not expect the next chapter to be up in the next few days because I will not have time to do it, sorry for making you wait!_

**Part Three**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: The Summer Holidays**

Miyu lay on the couch of the living room, staring listlessly up at the ceiling. She was dying… of boredom.

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The first term had ended last week and this was the beginning of the second week of the summer holidays during which she had nothing to do.

There was no tennis practice that day; her brother was at school training with his precious regulars; Sakuno was in Tokyo visiting her grandmother. Even her parents and grandmother were away.

Her father was dispatched on a business trip and her mother had gone off with him. Her grandmother had joined a tour with some of her friends and they had gone to Europe.

Her brother and she were forced to go on a diet of instant food and takeaways again.

She reckoned that she could go out with some of her other friends but she was not in the mood for shopping or gossiping which was what her other friends mostly did.

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She thought about that day so many weeks ago.

It seemed only like yesterday that Sakuno had officially broken up with Echizen and Seigaku.

After that, she had originally wanted to arrange blind-dates and gatherings for Sakuno but seeing that her friend needed some time to get over it all, she had refrained. Then, when Sakuno seemed to be less sad and Miyu had been clapping her hands with glee, it was the regulars' turn to be busy.

Most of them were in their final year in high school and they were not retiring from club activities yet, so they had a double load of schoolwork and tennis practices to deal with.

Even her brother seemed stressed out with both leading the club and preparing for his next year in university.

In that kind of tension, even if she could arrange anything, there would be little chance of it going well because all the regulars were so tired when they were not either practicing or discussing schoolwork.

Even Akaya was caught up in the stress because he wanted to win against Yukimura, Sanada and Yanagi before they leave.

Although this was only the first term of the year, the regulars did not dare to slack off because for most of them, this would also be their last year to participate in the High School Nationals and they were determined to win again. Even when the summer holidays started, the boys' tennis club did not rest.

In fact, they practiced more than usual each day and that left her pretty bored, apart from the days when she had her own practice. The boredom would not have been so bad if Sakuno was here but she had gone to stay with her grandmother in Tokyo.

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Miyu was prepared for another day of utter boredom when suddenly the phone rang and she leapt up to answer it.

It was Sakuno and she was to brighten Miyu's day up with wonderful news.

After they had said their greetings, Miyu got straight to the point and asked, "What's up? You usually call later in the evening, Sakuno?"

Sakuno laughed, "You are so perceptive, Miyu-chan! I'm afraid that I have to ask you a favor. My grandmother had just received an urgent phone call and she said that she has to leave tomorrow and will be away for the rest of the holidays. My relatives in Kanagawa are also away on holiday. I-I want to ask if I can stay with you for the rest of the holidays!"

There was a pause while Miyu assimilated that piece of too-good-to-be-true news.

Sakuno thought that Miyu was shocked at her boldness and immediately started apologizing, "G-gomen! Miyu-chan, I'm so sorry for asking something that will trouble you. I'm so sorry! Don't worry. I'll stay with someone else…"

She was about to hang-up sadly when Miyu stopped her, afraid that she really would find someone else to stay with, "Wait! Sakuno, you're mistaken! I would love to have you stay with us. My folks are all away and there's only me and my brother here. He's always training with the regulars and I'm always at home with nothing to do. It would be wonderful if you are here because we can go out and have fun together, ne!"

Sakuno was relieved and excited, "Really, Miyu-chan? Can I really stay? Do you have to ask Yukimura-senpai? I thought that if your parents aren't here, he would be the one in charge."

Miyu groaned, "Oh, yes, I'd forgotten about that. Don't worry, I'd go and ask him now. Wait for my call!"

With that, the overly-excited Miyu banged the phone down, put on some running shoes and ran to Rikkai where she knew her brother would be.

Before she actually went out, she did not forget to lock all the windows and the doors because it was a safety precaution that was drummed into her since she was old enough to help lock up at night.

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She ran nonstop to the tennis courts where she knew they would be. Sure enough, she saw the regulars in the courts.

Akaya and Jackal were playing against each other with Bunta keeping score.

Yanagi was talking with Yagyuu and Niou.

Yukimura and Sanada were playing a practice match with two tennis balls, strengthening their speed and reflexes.

She did not stop to watch as she sometimes did but yelled as she was running towards the entrance of the courts.

Usually, if someone dared to disturb practice like that, that person would be in deep trouble with an angry Sanada and a not-pleased Yukimura. Miyu was an exception and of course teachers were always safe.

Miyu thought that Sakuno would be an exception also but Sakuno would never dare to disturb practices except for the time when she hurt her ankle but as it was not her fault, despite what she said, it did not count. She thought that she would get Sakuno to try it someday.

All the regulars stopped what they were doing to look at her when she yelled for Yukimura. Then they ignored her as they figured that Yukimura would take care of it.

Bunta, not doing anything yet, stopped keeping scores and strolled over to let Miyu into the courts. She thanked him, not bothering to tease him today because she was anxious to talk to Yukimura.

She went over to her brother, who always had time for her. Sanada would have yelled back at her if practice had not been so productive that day.

Not having a sister himself, he was very tolerant of Miyu and her ways most of the time.

Miyu stopped in front of Yukimura who was very pleased to see Miyu. He had been so busy since the beginning of the holidays that he had not seen much of his sister except for at night when they would have dinner together and chat.

He knew that she had been bored out of her mind and he wanted to make her happy, except that they always had had extra practices for the whole tennis club during holidays. Therefore he was not able to spend much time with her.

He also knew that she missed Sakuno and though he never said anything, he missed her too. He wondered what it was that made her so happy today.

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Miyu was panting a bit from the nonstop dash to school and Yukimura handed her his water-bottle. She took it and drank some of it and then gave it back to her brother.

She said, "Onii-san, can Sakuno stay with us this holiday?" Yukimura looked surprised, "I thought that she is in Tokyo with Ryuzaki-sensei. Are you feeling alright, Miyu?"

He was worried that the boredom had finally gone up to her brain and she was imagining things. It was lucky that Miyu did not know what he was thinking or brother or not, she would have kicked his butt for thinking such a thing.

She knew that she needed to explain so she forced herself to be patient, "Onii-san, Sakuno called me earlier and said that her grandmother will be going away on a sudden business trip and her relatives in Kanagawa are also away. She needs somewhere to stay until her relatives come back. That will be at the end of the holidays. Therefore she has asked if she could stay with us."

Yukimura was glad that Miyu was not hearing things and even more glad to hear that Sakuno was coming back and would be staying with them. He said, "Of course she can stay with us, Miyu. When are you going to call her back?"

Miyu said, "Now. Bun-chan, lend me your phone."

Bunta looked annoyed at her calling him that but he obediently handed his phone over.

Popping his gum, he was thinking that if Sakuno was coming back and staying with these two siblings who could not boil an egg between the two of them, it would mean that Sakuno would be doing the cooking.

He thought about Sakuno's cooking and started to drool. He started to try and think of ways to get into the Yukimura household at some point so he could also share Sakuno's cooking. At this point, his eyes were sparkling with excitement at the thought of food, delicious food and more food.

Sanada was also happy to hear about Sakuno's return. After the night they had met the Seigaku regulars, when Sakuno had cried herself to sleep in his arms, the two of them had gotten closer.

If Sakuno saw him, she would run up to him and start chatting happily about her day. He felt that she was like the little sister that he had always wanted secretly.

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By the time Miyu got through to Sakuno, Yagyuu and Niou had started practicing some formation or the other with Yanagi directing them. They were near enough that she could not hear Sakuno properly over the sounds of tennis balls.

She got annoyed and told Sakuno to hold on and then she yelled at Niou and Yagyuu, "STOP HITTING THE STUPID BALLS! I'M TRYING TO TALK TO SAKUNO!"

With that, not only Yagyuu and Niou, but also Jackal and Akaya stopped. They looked over to Miyu and saw her talking on the phone, gesturing with her free hand. They went over to ask if she was really talking to Sakuno.

Miyu said to Sakuno on the phone, "Yes, onii-san said that it would be alright and you can come… Our parents? No, they are away… Yes, don't worry about it. Oh, okay, wait a sec. Onii-san, Sakuno wants to speak with you."

She handed the phone to her brother. Yukimura said, "Sakuno? No, honestly, you are welcome to stay. There are only the two of us in the house so it is a bit lonely, so it will be wonderful to have you with us… Ryuzaki-sensei wants to speak with me? Sure, okay."

He was quiet for a bit and Akaya whispered to Miyu, "Yo, Miyu, was that really Saku-no-bunny? You're not pulling our legs?"

Miyu rolled her eyes at him, "Don't be silly, Akaya-senpai, as if I would run all the way to school in this heat, just to pull your leg. No, it really was Sakuno on the phone."

Jackal cut in, also whispering, "Then she is going to stay with you and Yukimura?"

Miyu nodded excitedly, "Yes, isn't that exciting! We can do all sorts of things together!"

Bunta asked, "What sort of things? Homework? Have you finished your homework, Miyu?"

Miyu elbowed him in the ribs for reminding her of a much dreaded subject. Of course she had not finished her homework for the holidays. She had not even touched it.

While Bunta was bending over, muttering something about her and the possibilities of finding a boyfriend, she was struck by another idea. She grinned wickedly, "Say, Bun-chan, don't you like Sakuno's cooking?"

Bunta looked up at the mention of food but took on a wary expression at seeing the gleam on Miyu's face. He said with narrowed eyes, "I do like her cooking. Everyone does, don't they?"

Miyu smiled wolfishly, "Do they? Well, well, well…" She did not say anything more and Bunta wanted to ask but since he was afraid of her answer, he contained himself and hid behind Jackal, still nursing his ribs.

Meanwhile, Yukimura had already finished talking on the phone. He turned to everyone since everyone had now gathered round out of curiosity.

He announced, "Miyu and I will be picking Sakuno up at the station tomorrow at around four thirty in the afternoon. You are free to join us but once we pick her up, we will leave directly so if you are going to be late, don't bother to turn up because you will probably miss us."

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Everyone looked interested.

Yanagi decided to turn up just to see how many people will be there.

Yagyuu thought about the new novel that he had finished reading recently and decided that he would bring it along to show Sakuno.

Jackal simply thought that it would be nice to see Sakuno again.

Bunta was wondering if there would be food there.

Akaya was not going to miss seeing his bunny for sure.

Niou was thinking what nasty little tricks he could play at the station while waiting for Sakuno because he had been pretty good lately, what with all the tennis practice going on.

Sanada looked around the group and made up his mind to be there if only to keep Sakuno from being overwhelmed by this motley lot.

Yukimura did not mind asking them to come along; he was feeling generous because after all, Sakuno would be staying at his house for the next few weeks. They would not have that so he could afford to be generous.

Miyu was not only thinking of having Sakuno back and staying with her; she was also thinking of summer, the fun they could all have and mostly, the fun that she could have with them all…


	27. Return

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis._

_Author's Words:I would like to apologize for making everyone wait such a long while for these few chapters. However they are finally up and I hope to do better in the future. I hope everyone will enjoy them and Merry Christmas to you all!_

**Chapter Twenty-seven: Return**

Sakuno looked out the window as the scenery flashed by her eyes. She was in the train going back to where she belonged, to where her friends were all waiting for her.

She enjoyed being with her grandmother again and was disappointed that her stay had been cut short because her grandmother had work to do but she was also happy to be going back to see Miyu and everyone.

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When she had gone back to Tokyo at the beginning of the summer holidays, it had felt rather strange.

Tokyo had been her home for almost sixteen years and yet she was going back to visit.

The first night she had been back, she had stayed up with her grandmother and they had talked, really talked about her decision to stay at Rikkai.

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Her grandmother was a very open-minded woman and although she was going to miss her favorite grandchild, she was also happy that Sakuno was finally learning to step out on her own.

She was happy to see that Sakuno had found a group of friends who supported and helped her blossomed. The fact that they were the famous Rikkai regulars only mildly surprised her because in all her years she had seen stranger things happen.

She knew they were a reliable lot and she was pleased that they would be watching over Sakuno for her.

Tezuka had told her what had happened that night and had also added his own opinion, "Sensei, you won't have to worry about Ryuzaki because she is in good hands. They will take care of her."

Ryuzaki Sumire did not tell her granddaughter what Tezuka had said but she did say, "Sakuno, I am glad that you are happy at Rikkai but just remember that there is an old woman here who will miss you if you don't come back for holidays!"

She had winked at Sakuno after she said that and Sakuno had laughed gently and given her grandmother a tight hug, answering, "I know, obaa-chan."

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Sakuno had been so happy that her grandmother had understood that she made up her mind to be brave and try and talk to Tomoka the next day.

They had been friends for such a long time that she did not want them to remain like this, separate not only in body but also in spirit.

Therefore the next day, Sakuno took a deep breath and called Tomoka. Tomoka had answered the phone and she was surprised to hear Sakuno on the phone.

She had said, "Sakuno…" Then they were both silent, neither knew how to go on talking.

In the end, Sakuno reminded herself of her resolution to be brave and asked Tomoka to meet her at the ice cream parlor where they both liked and would often go.

Tomoka had agreed and half an hour later, the two girls were seated across each other at the ice cream parlor.

They did not quite know how to start speaking and the waitress came over to take there order. Both were secretly relieved to see the waitress and at the same time spoke up, "Chocolate Sundae please!"

The waitress smiled and left, thinking that they must be very good friends indeed.

Meanwhile, the two girls were staring at one another with surprised expressions and they both started laughing.

They were so happy to find that in the end, some things never changed and were much relieved.

They finally stopped their laughter and Tomoka looked at Sakuno, "Sakuno, I'm really sorry that I kissed Ryoma-sama. I just wanted to put an end to my crush on him and I didn't know that you would find out about it."

Sakuno looked at her friend. They had both been in love with the same boy and she had known that it had been difficult for Tomoka when she had started to date Ryoma.

She said, "Tomo-chan, don't worry. I'm not angry and I understand why you had to do it. Otherwise it would have been very painful, ne?"

Tomoka was surprised, "You're not angry? But, Sakuno, if you are not angry, then why are you still at Rikkai? You can come back to Seigaku and be with Ryoma-sama again, can't you?"

Sakuno smiled gently, "Tomo-chan, I broke up with Ryoma-kun not only because of the kiss. I will always think of him fondly but I don't feel the same about him anymore. You know that I had lost my memories while I was at Rikkai, right?"

Tomoka looked upset and nodded, she had felt so guilty and sad that she had driven her friend away and had hurt her but she did not have the courage to face her, so she had not looked for Sakuno the way Ryoma had done.

Sakuno reached over and took Tomoka's hand into her own, "Tomo-chan, look at me and see if I am sad or angry. I am not because I have found out that I don't belong to Seigaku.

I love you very much, much more than I loved Ryoma-kun because we are best friends, ne? Don't be sad that I am not at Seigaku anymore… Be happy for me, please?

I am happy at Rikkai because I have found my place at Rikkai. Be happy for me that I am finally free of my crush for Ryoma-kun and that I can step forward and go on with my life."

Tomoka clenched at Sakuno's hand, "I am happy that you are happy, Sakuno. Never doubt that! But I don't understand, what do you mean that you have found your place at Rikkai? Didn't you have a place at Seigaku?"

Sakuno answered, "Everyone at Seigaku is too bright and clever, I could not keep up all the time and I felt that I was suffocating. I was happy most of the time because of you and Ryoma-kun and obaa-chan.

However, sometimes, I want someone to just notice me and not see me because of obaa-chan or you or Ryoma-kun. At Seigaku, everyone's really nice but everyone saw me at first as Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter.

Sometimes, they would see me as the girl who was always with you. Later, they saw me as Ryoma-kun's fan-girl and then girlfriend. I was rarely just Ryuzaki Sakuno.

I knew that you saw me but although I am always glad that you were with me at Seigaku, I needed more.

I needed to have my place at the school and I have found it at Rikkai. Don't cry, Tomo-chan because I will come back for holidays and we are still friends, ne?"

Tomoka had started crying; she had never known that Sakuno was unhappy and while she was delighted that Sakuno had stepped forward on her own, much like Ryuzaki-sensei had felt, she was also sad that Sakuno did not need her anymore.

Tomoka had always been very protective of Sakuno and now, she knew that Sakuno would no longer need her protection and she felt bereft.

She made herself stop crying and sniffled, "I just had some sand in my eyes." Sakuno smiled understanding that Tomoka needed to say that.

Their orders arrived and the two girls started to tuck in. They started to talk about lighter subjects, like gossip at school and what they had been up to.

It turned out to be a delightful afternoon and they were both wistful when they had to go home.

Sakuno promised to keep in touch and Tomoka told her to send photos of Rikkai and maybe, if she could, she would go to visit Sakuno at Rikkai.

They parted happily, both with light steps and even lighter hearts.

That night, Sakuno chatted happily to her grandmother about her afternoon and how they were friends again.

Her grandmother was very glad indeed to see Sakuno being brave enough to take the first step and talk to Tomoka.

She once again congratulated herself on the wise decision to send Sakuno to Rikkai in the first place; if anything, that place had given her little Sakuno an extra bit of courage and a great dose of happiness.

The next day, she received the phone call that ended up with her going away for work and Sakuno on the train, traveling towards her new home.

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Sakuno smiled as she thought of her grandmother and then, Tomoka.

After she had confirmed that she would be staying at Miyu's place, she had then called Tomoka to tell her that she would be going back to Kanagawa.

Tomoka had been her usual self, moaning about the change of plans and they chatted about possible visits.

It turned out to be rather difficult because Tomoka would be very busy with part-time jobs and helping her mother at home.

Sakuno knew Tomoka's family and knew that it would be unlikely that she could stay at her house if she visited Tokyo.

However, the two girls had ended their calls with promises to contact if they had time this holiday to meet up either in Tokyo or Kanagawa.

They were both much happier now because they were speaking to each other again and both felt that their friendship was stronger than ever, not that they said anything about it.

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The train sped on and soon, Sakuno heard the announcement she had been waiting for.

They were nearing the station where she would be getting off and she checked that she had everything with her.

It would be most awkward, not to mention embarrassing if she got off the train only to find out later that she had left something behind.

She counted her belongings three more times before she was satisfied that she had everything and sat back, clutching her things to her and looked forward to seeing her Rikkai friends again.


	28. At the Station

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis._

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: At the Station**

At the entrance of the station, there was a scattered group of tall, well-built and very good-looking young men. Together with them was a tall girl who was also very good-looking.

They were waiting for their dear little friend; 'little' meaning that she was very small compared with this lot of half giants.

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Yukimura and Miyu had arrived at the station to see Niou, Sanada and Yagyuu already waiting. Soon, Bunta, Jackal, Akaya and Yanagi had arrived and they nodded to each other, then went off to wait on their own.

Yukimura was not surprised to see the whole team there and he started talking to Sanada about some problems with the practice timetables.

Miyu got bored of listening to them and went over to tease Bunta, who was standing with Jackal, who was pounding his back because Bunta had eaten too much takoyaki in one mouthful and was now choking.

Yagyuu was leaning against a nearby post and was reading a new mystery novel that he had found at the bookstore; he had been so busy lately with all the school work and tennis practices that he had not had much time to read and was glad to take the opportunity to relax a bit while waiting for his favorite chatting companion.

Actually she was his only chatting companion because he did not chat with the guys and his family was not the chatty type. He did not care to chat with the girls at school because they would be too busy cooing at him to listen or make intelligent replies.

Well, to be fair, the replies that Sakuno made were not academically intelligent but she did not coo at him and she actually listened and answered seriously which was all he had wanted.

Recently he had felt that was not enough but was not yet sure what more did he want. He had been too busy to think about it so for the time being, he just let that rest at the back of his mind.

He did not even think of talking to Miyu because she not only disliked reading but to him, she was always more 'gentleman' than 'lady', so most of the time, he treated her as he would his team-mates and that is with little words.

Yanagi was standing next to Yagyuu, scribbling down anything and everything that caught his attention.

It was more to keep up his note-taking skills rather than to serve any purpose. Besides, he never knew what interesting little piece of information he might find.

Akaya was standing some distance away, listening to music and glancing at the watch.

He had missed Sakuno because recent practices had been so tense that he longed for her relaxing presence. Besides, he reasoned to himself, she was his bunny, how come she was not by his side.

Akaya childishly did not want to bother going too far down that train of thought because he instinctively felt that it would not be a good idea just yet.

At least, not for Sakuno, because if he had really wanted her, he would be relentless and part of him understood that now was not the time for that.

Therefore he settled for her being his bunny and as long as nothing else happened, he would be contented in this situation for the time being.

Niou was wandering around seemingly bored and radiating an aura that said clearly, "Don't come near me."

He looked cool but inside, he was grinning madly at the potential fun he could have before Sakuno arrived.

He had brought along some of his older 'toys'.

They were little tricks he had used when he was about six or seven years old and he had thought they would be tame enough not to get him into trouble if he was caught, not by the authorities, but by Sanada or Yukimura.

The good old 'toys' will not hurt anyone and he just wanted to have a bit of fun.

He saw a group of scantily-dressed girls amidst the crowd and walked in that general direction. He had his hands in the pockets of his baggy jeans, chosen for their large pockets.

Summer was really too hot to wear jackets and he could only keep his toys in his pockets if he wanted to have access to them easily in a crowd like this.

His quick fingers found the bunch of rubber worms he had dug out from his room.

He had used a bit of sun tan lotion to make them slippery before he came out and he took one in his hand.

When he got near the group of girls, he pretended to yawn, using this as an excuse to take his hand out and drop the rubber worm he was hiding in his hand down the back of the loose tank top that one of the girls were wearing.

The worm was very slippery against the skin and out of the corner of his eye, he saw it stick to the girl's nape and slowly slide down her back.

He stepped away, knowing what will happen next and prepared for the scream.

He was not disappointed. The girl had stiffened and then, let loose such a shrill scream that everyone around her stopped what they were doing and stared.

She had started to hop around shrieking that there was something down her back.

Niou did not wait around for them to dig out the rubber worm and he slowly moved with the crowd.

He thought that it would be too odd to have so many people screaming in the same afternoon and decided to stop on the worms.

He thought about his other toys and decided on the fake fart.

It was a small rubber trick that would release a very loud and very rude sound when pressed hard enough.

Usually, one would put on another person's seat and let the other person sit on it but to produce a loud enough sound, one would have to apply enough pressure.

However, Niou was strong enough that he could just use his fingers and press the rubber to sound it.

He glanced around saw another group of girls.

They were the most obvious targets, he thought, because they always reacted one way or the other. That was the whole point of playing tricks on others: to make them react.

He moved with the crowd and when he got near enough the group of girls, he stopped and while keeping one hand in his pocket, he used the other one to take his phone out and pretended to call someone.

Then he 'talked' on the phone and pressed the fake fart hard with the hand hidden in the pocket.

There was a loud noise and the group of girls fell silent.

They looked embarrassed and after glancing around them, and then at each other, they started to chat hesitantly again.

Niou pressed the rubber again, softer this time and pressed it a few more times. It sounded like a series of rude noises.

The group of girls was completely quiet now. They all thought that it was one of them because it seemed that only they had heard it. No one else around them seemed to be reacting to the noise.

They were mortified and looked at each other helplessly, trying to figure out which girl it was.

Niou had already walked away, still 'talking' on the phone. He was having a hard time to keep from laughing. The looks on the girls were priceless.

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Usually when someone played a trick, that person would stay until the very end to find out if the trick worked.

That was the easiest and quickest way to get caught and Niou never fell prey to that weakness.

He would be around as long as most other people and would walk away with the first few groups of people who got bored with the scene.

If he left too early, he would be suspected and if he left too late, he would also be suspected. The trick was never to stand out too much but move with the crowd.

However, he also had to take into account his personality or the way person saw him.

A lot of people who did not know him thought that he was one of those punks with his pale colored hair and if he acted too excited, he would be 'out of character' and if he acted too cool, it would seem as if he knew what was going to happen. Either way, he would be suspected.

He was always very careful to maintain a balance when he played one of his more nasty tricks because he had no wish to be caught and his name become a piece of gossip in school.

Anyway, one way or another, people always found out that it was him playing the tricks.

That was why he was called the Trickster because although everyone knew after incidents that he was the culprit, no one had caught him yet, even though sometimes he was at the scene when they happened.

Although he was an eye-catching, good-looking tall young man, he knew exactly what to do when he wanted to blend in a crowd.

He knew that one of the tricks was not to look innocent because he knew that it was something that so many people would expect that it would be all too suspicious if he pulled the innocent look when something was happening.

Besides, his face did not do innocent well. It did insolence much better, the image of a bad boy rather than the image of an angel.

Now, that angel-image suited people like Yukimura or that Fuji from Seigaku. Oh, and that Jiro from Hyotei or Saeki from Rokkaku or maybe that little boy called Dan Taiichi from Yamabuki.

These people were born for the innocent look. Dan was probably innocent by nature and Jiro would be sleeping too much to do anything that would make him not innocent.

However, Fuji and Yukimura definitely perfected that look for their own purposes.

Niou thought that look would be useful sometimes but he was not so stupid as to use something that was so unsuitable for himself.

Still, he knew that his innocent look did work sometimes with some certain people, like little Sakuno.

She seemed to trust him no matter what look he wore, which was a novelty for him because not even his own mother would do that. But then, his mother probably knew him too well anyway.

She could only trust him to be unpredictable and naughty. It did not mean he was on bad terms with his family; it only meant that they knew him well and loved him anyway.

However, Sakuno seemed to be different from his family.

He knew that she definitely liked him as a friend and he felt that soon, that might not be enough for him because he liked her and not always as a friend.

He liked to be near her and he liked to touch her.

He liked that she was not wary of him and he liked that she trusted him to take care of her because not anyone would, not that he wanted them to but she was different.

He did want to take care of her and make sure that no one would ever hurt her again.

There were many people in the world that he did not care about and that he did not have a qualm about hurting but she would never be one of them.

In fact, he was more afraid of her hurting him because he knew that he was not the only one who wanted to know her more, on a deeper, maybe more intimate level.

He was almost certain that Yukimura felt the same as he did and probably Akaya.

Bunta might become a threat but for now, Niou thought that he knew Bunta well enough to guess he had not thought of anything other than Sakuno's cooking.

He did not know about Sanada because although he treated Sakuno with respect and care, there did not seem to be romantic feelings involved but one could never be too sure.

Feelings change and grow or die after all; they were too unpredictable.

He was also not certain of Yagyuu's intentions although they were partners. Yagyuu was respectful to Sakuno and obviously enjoyed her company but he did not seem to want any more than a friend to talk to.

Jackal was also another wild card because he was naturally friendly to people. Jackal being friendly to Sakuno could just be him being himself.

Yanagi appeared to be the only safe one because he would probably be more interested in collecting data about their behavior around Sakuno than anything else.

Niou was well aware of when he was being surveyed and he knew that Yanagi noticed everything. He also had to be careful of Yukimura Miyu because she was much sharper than she let on.

Niou could tell most of the time when someone was planning something because there were always little things that gave the game away if one knew what to look for and how to look for it. He smirked at the pun.

He had made it a habit to be careful because he played so many tricks to people, he was bound to make some enemies along the way.

Therefore he was used to be cautious of people around him, even when he was with his team-mates though they were easy to guess because they all knew each other so well, having spent a considerable amount of time together.

Even though he enjoyed playing tricks on others, he did not like people playing tricks on him.

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He checked his watch again, not wanting to miss Sakuno's train.

It was almost time and he made his way back to his friends.

They were still where they were when he had left them.

He went to Yagyuu's side and his partner looked up at his approach. Niou said, "It's almost time." Yagyuu nodded and put away his novel.

Yanagi also closed his notebook and said to Niou, "Glad you were as good as ever when you play your tricks, Trickster." Niou snorted, "Who do you think I am, Master?"

He should have known that Yanagi rarely missed what went on around him. The three of went to the others.

Miyu was making a face at Bunta from behind Yukimura's back. She was not above using her brother for protection when it would taunt Bunta all the more.

Just as she thought, Bunta was so annoyed at her that he was almost in tears, shaking his fists and daring her to come out and face him like a 'man' to which Miyu answered that she preferred to being a girl much more.

Bunta was now stamping his feet childishly and Akaya was not helping by clutching his stomach and laughing his head off.

Bunta then turned his attention to Akaya and started chasing him around.

Jackal looked stood off to one side and pretended that he did not know any of them. He could never understand why they were so childish even at this age.

Yukimura was indulgingly ruffling Miyu's hair to which she was protesting saying that she was not a child anymore.

Sanada merely ignored the lot of them, deeming their childish behavior to be beneath his notice. He started to walk into the station to go to the platform where Sakuno's train was supposed to arrive.

Yukimura followed him with Miyu tagging along, holding his arm and still taunting Bunta.

Akaya had skipped ahead and Bunta was crying and complaining to Jackal that they do not have any respect at all for their elders.

Jackal was listening and nodding and wondering why he always ended up with jobs like these.

Niou, Yagyuu and Yanagi walked on after them, Niou talking about Sakuno's surprise when she saw the whole lot of them.

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Yagyuu had a rare smile on his face at the thought of seeing Sakuno.

Yanagi also had a smile on his face; he was also happy that Sakuno was coming back.

In his opinion, the regulars had all been training very hard lately and had built up a lot of tension.

Sakuno would be good for them because they all brightened up considerably at the thought of being with her again.

He knew that all work and no play made a Jack a dull boy and in this case, there were eight Jacks.

He also was more relaxed when Sakuno was around because she provided much interesting fodder for him to record.

Much as he liked collecting data about tennis when they practiced, he was also human and he too, needed the break.

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The group of them had reached the platform and was just in time to see the train arrive.

They waited patiently for most of the other passengers to get off the train before they started looking for Sakuno.

Although this lot may be very different, they were now sufficiently familiar with Sakuno to know that she would rarely be the first to come out in a crowd.

Part of that was because she was just too polite to push in front of others and the other part was because she was too slow and clumsy to be first.

As they had thought, Sakuno stepped off the train and then stumbled backwards.

Her bag had gotten caught across the door and she did not notice until it stopped her from going forward.

Niou was quick to go over to her and help her with her bag.

Miyu, Bunta and Akaya were hurrying towards the girl who was blushing and smiling happily up at Niou who was holding her bag already.

The others were just behind them. Miyu gave Sakuno a big hug and released her only to have Bunta take her place.

He was already taking this chance to cry out his woes at being 'bullied' by Miyu and Akaya.

Sakuno was patting his head and being the sympathetic listener. She was so happy to be with everyone again.

She saw Sanada and went to him with a happy smile. He smiled briefly at her and inquired after her journey and her health. She did not know why but she always felt especially safe when she was with this senpai.

She exchanged greetings with Yanagi who was just standing next to Sanada and then Yukimura came up to her and gave her the usual kiss on the cheek.

Yagyuu also came up to her and greeted her quietly in his steady polite way.

Jackal slapped her on the back, not too hard because she was a girl and he grinned at her, half glad because she was someone who would share in his job as the pacifist between Bunta, Miyu and Akaya.

Akaya went and gave her a surprise hug from behind, then turned her around, picked her up and swung her around so swiftly that she cried for mercy with a laugh.

Akaya took pity on her and put her down. She laughed when he put her down.

Sakuno looked around at these people who were so happy to see her back and she was suddenly filled with the urge to cry. It had just hit her that she might have missed them more than she had thought.

"Truly," she told herself, "I have come home."


	29. Sakuno's Job and Miyu's Evil Idea

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis._

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Sakuno's Job and Miyu's Evil Idea**

With Niou carrying Sakuno's bag, they all walked back to Yukimura's house, a happy, noisy group.

Well, only half the group was noisy with the others quietly listening to them.

Akaya, Miyu and Bunta were still teasing each other and talking to Sakuno at the same time.

Jackal was just happy that he could take a break from all that noise.

Sanada was used to his team-mates being childish and tuned them out, focusing on Sakuno's happy face.

He was satisfied to see that she did not seem to suffer any unpleasant feelings from her trip back to Tokyo but he was still determined to talk to her privately about it later.

He never felt that he was an overly caring person but he guessed that it did not hurt to be caring once in a while.

Heck, he did not mind to be watching over her all the time anyway, but a man had to watch his pride and he did not like being too open for everyone to notice.

What was important was that he knew that she would understand that she could depend on him.

Yukimura was also tuning the others out, thinking of sweet little Sakuno.

He was extremely pleased to have this chance to be close to her and he looked forward to eating breakfast and dinner with her.

He only regretted that he would not be at home most days because of the tennis practices. He wondered if there was any way to get around that.

He did not want to do anything too obvious because that might frighten the shy girl.

He knew that he was easy to approach partly because of his appearance and partly because his manner was so gentle.

However, beneath his gentle demeanor was a very possessive and strong personality.

He protected what was his fiercely and was not really as gentle as his manner suggested.

He could start a conversation about the boys' lunches during the holidays and if he knew Sakuno as he did, she would probably offer to make lunches for them because honestly, given their amount of exercise each day, their lunches were not really enough.

The school cafeteria was closed this holiday because they were renovating the kitchens.

All the clubs were told to bring their own lunches if they would be coming back to school for practice or activities of any kind.

Miyu and he had been living off mostly instant food from convenience stores and his lunches had been onigiri and sandwiches.

The others were not much better off because at their age, their mothers usually let them be and they took care of their lunches.

Therefore, sometimes they would appear with leftovers and sometimes it would be sandwiches or even instant cup noodles.

At lunchtime each day, they would all eat and complain about the stupid heartless school administrative people.

At the end of practices, they would all rush off to get food at the nearest fast food store.

He would get some takeaway for Miyu and himself to eat later for dinner and that would be their daily intake of meals.

Sakuno would probably be horrified at their unwholesome eating habits.

He would cook if he could but the problem was he had never been anything more than a nuisance in the kitchen.

The best he and Miyu could do would be to boil water for instant noodles and use the fridge.

When his team-mates had found out that he was hopeless in the kitchen, they had laughed like the maniacal hyenas that they were.

He sighed at that unwelcome memory and Yagyuu, who was walking next to him, asked him what the matter was.

Yukimura shook his head and Yagyuu did not press.

He was thinking about the novels he had read during the holidays which were not a lot because he did not have the leisure.

There were a few detective novels that were very interesting and not too scary. The one he had been reading was a world-wide hit called The Da Vinci Code.

He was reading the Japanese translated version and he wondered if Sakuno had heard about it.

From his conversations with her, he realized that though she was a quiet girl, she was by no means a bookish one and reading was not a hobby for her.

Despite that, she was always interested in the things he had to say and would think and ask questions about things that she did not understand.

Some of her observations were interesting and not things that he would normally think about.

He guessed it might be because of their different genders because girls tend to think differently from boys.

He also thought that it was because it was gentle and sensitive Sakuno that made her see things differently from the way that he saw them.

While he might think about the plot and the logic involved in solving the crime in the novel, she might be thinking about what induced the person to commit the crime in the first place.

He added to himself that she would most likely feel sorry for the 'poor' criminal as well.

That was actually what he liked most about her. She really felt for the fictional characters that he talked about.

Although she said that it was because of his amazing story-telling skills but he doubted it.

If he had such amazing story-telling skills, he would have found other people to listen to him talk about his beloved novels ages ago, namely his team-mates but they always found excuses to go somewhere when he started to say, "Recently, I read this book…"

He looked towards Sakuno who was giggling at something that Miyu had said and felt that it was so fortunate for him to have found someone like her.

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It was not long before they reached the Yukimura residence and they all trooped in.

Sakuno was to have the guest room because Yukimura and Miyu thought that it would be more comfortable for her to have some space of her own while she was with them.

If it was only a night or two, then she could have shared Miyu's room but since she was staying the rest of the holidays, she ought to have some privacy of her own.

Sakuno thanked Niou who had carried her bag up to the room and she went downstairs with him and Miyu, who had shown them the room.

The others were downstairs discussing what to do for dinner that night. They thought that they might go out and eat at a restaurant.

Sakuno said that she could cook but they would not let her, saying that she would be tired after the long journey.

In the end, they went to the fast food shop they always go to after practice.

There they could get enormous amounts of food for a cheap price and being students, they felt that this atmosphere was more relaxing than a restaurant.

Everyone had a very good time and as usual, Yukimura and Miyu bought some extra burgers and other snacks to take home.

Sakuno wondered why they would do that, not knowing that these two really could not cook. She had, of course, heard about it but had thought that it was a joke.

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Later that night, when everyone else had gone home and it was just Yukimura, Miyu and Sakuno in the kitchen, they talked about recent practices and matches that the regulars had been having.

Sakuno was very sympathetic when she heard about their appalling luncheons and decided that she would make bento for them whenever possible.

It got to a point when Miyu was telling a silly story about something Bunta had done during one of the practices when Sakuno was yawned.

She had been traveling and excited and now all that was catching up with her.

Miyu stopped and said, "Sakuno, you should tell me if you're tired. I can always finish that story another time; it's not like I would forget it in a hurry." That last sentence was punctuated with a wicked grin.

Sakuno said, "Gomen, I'm alright; I enjoy talking to you and Yukimura-senpai."

Yukimura smiled, "Sakuno, I agree with Miyu, you have had a long day and it would be better for you to go to bed now. We love talking to you too but you cannot talk if you are tired. Besides, we should go to bed too, so you will not be the only one."

Sakuno nodded obediently and got up. Miyu went with her and they said good night to Yukimura before making their way upstairs.

Yukimura sat at the kitchen table, sipping his glass of milk and reflecting that it had been a pleasant day in all. Soon, he too went to bed.

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The next morning, Sakuno woke up very early.

She got up and after washing herself and getting dressed in a simple summer dress, she went downstairs into the kitchen.

Nobody was up yet and she decided to make breakfast for the two siblings who were still sleeping.

She hummed to herself as she moved about in the kitchen with the ease of someone who knew what she was doing.

Apart from wanting to make herself useful, she also wanted Miyu and Yukimura to eat healthily because the other boys had told her stories about their unwholesome eating habits while their parents and grandmother were away.

She did not quite know what to make of their 'famed' cooking skills but she thought that since she was staying with them, she might as well make sure that they would be eating proper meals while she was there.

Besides, cooking for them made her feel as if she was a part of their family and she liked that.

Miyu had been like a sister to her and Yukimura had also been very kind.

She looked for extra ingredients in the kitchen because she also wanted to make bento for Yukimura to take to practice for lunch. She only found lots of instant food and rice.

Therefore, she put in extra rice into the rice cooker to cook so that she could make lots of onigiri. There was probably enough for all eight regulars to fill their stomachs so that they would be full until their next meal.

She decided to ask Miyu to take her shopping for food that day so that she could make dinner for that night and bento for the next day.

She enjoyed domestic duties because they were very relaxing and they made her feel useful when she was clumsy with so many other jobs.

Soon, breakfast was ready and just as she was thinking about whether she should pop up to wake Yukimura and Miyu, they came down, having been awakened by the lovely smell of cooked breakfast.

Sakuno turned to them and said, "Ohaiyou, Yukimura-senpai! Ohaiyou, Miyu-chan!"

They returned her greetings and both of them stared at the breakfast laid out on the kitchen table.

Their eyes shone and Miyu said, "Wow! Sakuno, did you make all these? They look really good! They smell good too!"

She was very impressed because she could never have done it even with the best cooking instructor teaching her.

Yukimura was of likewise mind but he merely smiled and went over to give Sakuno a grateful hug. Sakuno blushed lightly because Yukimura had hugged her more tightly than usual.

For once, Miyu ignored what her brother was doing because she was already at the table, drooling over the food and waiting for them to join her. She was taught that one never started a meal until everyone was at the table.

Yukimura sat down and Sakuno ladled out the soup and rice into separate bowls and also sat down.

They started to eat; or rather, Sakuno and Yukimura ate while Miyu ate a speed much like Bunta's, as if the food was going to disappear any minute.

Sakuno giggled at Miyu and said, "Mou, Miyu-chan, be careful, you might choke!"

Miyu stopped long enough to mumble something unintelligible and continued her breakfast.

When they had finished breakfast, Yukimura and Miyu washed up. They had insisted that since Sakuno would be cooking while she was there, they would take care of the cleaning and washing and Sakuno did not argue with them.

She started making the onigiri and Yukimura guessed, "Sakuno, are those for the regulars?"

Sakuno answered, "Hai, Yukimura-senpai, I hope you don't mind that I used the rice to make these. I should have asked before but it slipped my mind until I started the rice cooker."

She was feeling that she had been rather rude now because she never should have just used other people's things like that.

Yukimura said, "Don't be silly, we never cook and it will be good if you can use the rice. Everyone will be so happy to see these today. Arigatou, Sakuno!"

Sakuno smiled gently, relieved that he was not angry.

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Miyu was wondering what Sakuno was going to make for lunch and dinner. She had been around Bunta too much and his habits were catching.

Miyu did not really mind since it was Sakuno's cooking that she was wondering about. Her cooking was actually just simple fare but she knew that the food had been carefully and lovingly prepared for them and that made all the difference.

It was not because she did not have a happy family because she did. However, she had always wanted to be someone special to only one person.

She thought that everyone would want that, to be the special person for someone.

Right now, Sakuno was her special person, like a sister that had been lost to her since birth and recently found.

She did not want a boyfriend at this point of her life, unlike most of her peers. She preferred this friendly distance she had with everyone but still, she wished for someone special she could care for and watch out for.

Sakuno was her answer because she was a friend and they did not have the urgent need to be together that most couples their age felt.

She did not want to feel tied to anyone and most couples that she had observed had felt that need to be together all the time, or at least the girl would feel that way and she did not want to become like that.

She was like a bird, jealous of her freedom and yet she wanted a nest for her to come home to and Sakuno was her nest.

Sakuno did not give her any peer pressure. They did not have to copy each other and they did not have to talk about what nail polish to use or what kind of clothes were in fashion.

They were comfortable together and she loved that. No wonder they say opposites attract!

Miyu giggled to herself as she thought of that allegory. She knew perfectly well that she was not a lesbian or if she was, she was not in love with Sakuno; otherwise she would not be trying to pair her with a boy.

Still, she would be lonely if Sakuno did become someone's girlfriend because then, she would no longer belong just to her.

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Very soon, Sakuno was finished with the onigiri and she packed them neatly into bento boxes that Miyu got out and washed for her.

Yukimura then set off for school with them and his tennis bag.

Sakuno would have thought them to be very heavy altogether but apparently, Yukimura thought nothing of their weight. She was impressed because Yukimura looked so frail.

When Yukimura was gone, Miyu asked Sakuno, "What do you want to do today, Sakuno?"

Sakuno answered immediately, "Miyu-chan, we have to go shopping for food because if I am going to be cooking everyday and making bento for everyone, then I need much more than you have in the kitchen. Is that alright?"

Sakuno felt as if she was being a bit of a busybody but she wanted everyone to eat well.

Miyu did not feel anything of that sort because she was so grateful to be eating hot food that would be freshly cooked.

She grinned and dug out a little trolley her grandmother sometimes used when no one was free to carry her shopping.

Although, it would look a bit odd for two young, pretty teenage-girls to be shopping using a trolley, she did not care because she did not want to be the one carrying all the food and she did not want Sakuno to do it either.

She would have preferred to get the regulars to come and help but she did not want to wait until they were free. She would rather look silly than go hungry.

They got their purses and set off, Miyu thinking that she was going to get the other regulars to pool money together for the food Sakuno was going to get for them because it was not fair on Miyu's and Sakuno's purses that they were going to do all the paying.

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Yukimura had arrived at school and he saw that Sanada and Yagyuu were already there. They were warming up, stretching their muscles and waiting for the others.

That day was a practice day for the whole tennis club and not just the regulars so they would have their hands full.

They regulars took turns to help and coach the other third and second years and the second years took turns to coach the first years when they were not picking up balls.

It was a traditional Japanese sports club system with the younger ones serving the older ones and the older ones teaching the younger ones.

Of course there are always exceptions, like Akaya's case because he was so good that none of the other non-regular third years could beat him.

However, he still had to help coach the younger ones. The younger ones did not really like him teaching them because he was rather impatient sometimes and he was very aggressive when he actually played.

That day, it was Yagyuu's turn to help with the coaching and he was always a dependable coach, being the steady person he was.

Yukimura greeted them and he went to the changing room to put away the bento and change.

He wondered if he should tell them about the bento at the beginning of practice. It might distract them too much but maybe not.

He thought that he would probably tell them anyway because they probably deserved a surprise after so many days of hard practice.

As he was changing, Niou, Bunta and Jackal arrived.

They nodded to each other without saying anything. They were not the best morning people in the world.

About fifteen minutes later, everyone had arrived.

The regulars always arrived earlier than the rest of the club. It was a rule that Sanada enforced because it gave a good front to the rest of the club, showing that they were serious about their positions on the team.

Yukimura waited until they were standing in front of him and he smiled gently.

The others saw his smile and got suspicious. They did not think that there was any reason for him to be smiling so early in the morning.

Niou, being suspicious by nature and Akaya, being just rebellious, both thought that he was going to come up with some nasty idea. Usually, they might have had guessed it correctly but this time, they were wrong.

Yukimura announced, "This morning, Sakuno has made onigiri for us all!"

The others were silent and then Bunta and Akaya yelled excitedly and gave each other high-fives. They were all happy to have some kind of homemade food for lunch, even though it was only onigiri.

Most of them had only brought sandwiches and they were pretty much sick of eating so much bread. They were Japanese boys, not Westerners and they much preferred rice to bread.

After that announcement, they were all in an extremely good mood and the day went very well.

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Sakuno and Miyu stepped inside the house, pulling the full and heavy trolley after them. It was filled with ingredients that would be eaten by hungry and eager mouths in the next few days.

Miyu thought that next time when they went shopping for food, even with the trolley she was going to make sure at least one of the regulars would be there to help them.

She had no idea that shopping for food to stock the kitchen would take so much energy. They had bought so much stuff!

She was now sincerely glad that she could not cook because even the buying-ingredients part was daunting.

She did not know it was only because they were buying enough food for ten healthy teenagers, eight of them active tennis players that there was so much food. Normally, it would not be so much for a family of four or five.

On the other hand, Sakuno was very happy because she felt that she was doing something for her friends. She was a girl not used to only taking from people but she was brought up to give as well.

Her friends at Rikkai all seemed to be so competent and clever that there was very little she could do for them.

She had despaired of ever giving anything back until she found that they liked her cooking and then, her days had brightened considerably.

She hummed to herself when she worked in the kitchen, putting the food away in the cupboards and the fridge.

In the beginning, she had asked Miyu where things would go but Miyu, being Miyu, naturally would not be able to answer her.

Therefore, Sakuno gave up and put things away according to her habits when she was living with her grandmother. As she put things away, she was also thinking of that night's menu.

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While she hummed away in the kitchen, Miyu was at the kitchen table, out of her way.

Miyu rested her head on the table, tired from pulling the trolley.

She had refused to let Sakuno put it, saying that she was the stronger of the two and besides, Sakuno would be the one cooking, so it was only fair that she did her share of chores.

Still, it did not mean that the trolley was light but she did not blame Sakuno for her tiredness.

No indeed, she did not blame Sakuno, she was blaming the stupid regulars for going to the stupid school for their stupid practice while they were doing the hard and heavy work just so they could eat.

She thought if there was a way to pay them back. Suddenly, it hit her!

It was summer and none of them was Sakuno's boyfriend yet! If Miyu and Sakuno want to go to the beach, they could do nothing about it.

That was it, she would choose a day when they had to practice and tell her brother that they would be going to the beach for the day with … someone else?

Miyu grinned evilly as she thought of their reactions when they learnt that their precious little Sakuno would be going to the beach with some other guy.

It would do them a world of good. Sakuno was not exclusively theirs and they had better treat her better or she would end up with some other guy. She had no idea yet who the other guy would be but the point would be the same.

She had another evil idea. She would go shopping with Sakuno for a bikini!

Sakuno would be wearing a bikini and the regulars would be practicing at school.

Miyu would, of course, tell them about it before so they would be thinking about it and not actually seeing it. That would get them good!

She burst out laughing and startled Sakuno.

Sakuno asked her what the matter was. Miyu only shook her head and said that she was just happy that Sakuno was staying with them.

Sakuno was slightly skeptical because Miyu's laugh had sounded rather evil.

In fact, it reminded her of Tomoka's wicked laugh when she was thinking of something nasty. Because of that, Sakuno decided that she would be better off not knowing what it was and she went back her job.

At the same time, the regulars at school all started to sneeze, one after the other and wondered if they were coming down with some collective flu, resulting in extra laps because Sanada thought if they were sneezing in summer, then it meant that they were still too weak.


	30. Shopping For Bikinis

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis._

**Chapter Thirty: Shopping for Bikinis**

"What!" exclaimed Yukimura after Miyu had announced that she and Sakuno would be going to the beach the coming Tuesday.

After her annoyance had cooled down a bit, she had decided to let the regulars know well ahead so they could have a chance to make up their minds whether or not to go to the beach with them.

She did want to enjoy the outing with Sakuno and going with other people that they were not as familiar with as the regulars would probably be boring.

The regulars were her 'brothers' after all. Besides, she did not want them to moan at her about not letting them come to the beach with them.

Bold as she was, she was too close to the regulars not to know how they would react in this situation.

She would get off lightly with Jackal and Yanagi.

She would be in trouble with Bunta, Yagyuu and Yukimura.

She would be 'dead meat' with Sanada, Niou and Akaya. The last three would be angry in different ways but she would be just as 'dead'.

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Since Sanada was showing such a degree of protectiveness towards Sakuno, he would definitely dislike her going off the beach without adequate escort in the summer.

The beach would be full of people and most likely, there would be plenty of guys looking for a bit of 'fun'.

Sakuno would be easy prey in this situation and Miyu would not be enough to protect her.

Yukimura would be just as angry as Sanada but he could never work up the rage with Miyu so she would be safe from her brother.

Niou would also be just as angry about the situation because she could tell that he was feeling more than friendly towards Sakuno and to think of her in a bikini at the beach with some other guy would be enough to send him off his rockers.

She was wary of Niou, not because he was intimidating like Sanada, though he could be if he wanted to, but because he was capable of making her school life a living hell and not even Yukimura could protect her.

Akaya was also very possessive of Sakuno, 'his bunny', and he would not take lightly to the news that she was off having fun while her 'master' was slaving away in the tennis courts.

Moreover, he was so unpredictable that there was no telling what he would do to Miyu if he was really in a rage.

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Miyu might like her revenge and her fun but she did not relish creating extra trouble for herself.

Therefore she changed her initial plan and told Sakuno that she wanted to get the regulars to go the beach for them to take a break.

She added that if they knew that it was her idea, they would not go because they were too proud of admitting that they needed a break. However, if it was Sakuno wanting to go to the beach, it would be a different matter.

Sakuno did not really understand Miyu's logic but she said agreeably that she would go with Miyu's story and said that it was her that wanted to go to the beach.

Miyu did not enlighten her when Sakuno asked why they would go if it was Sakuno's idea because she did not want to make Sakuno self-conscious around the regulars.

Miyu wanted everything to be as natural as possible, feelings-wise of course.

Everything else could be engineered but feelings could not.

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"What do you mean you are going to the beach?" Yukimura asked.

He was not surprised that she would go to the beach but he was not too pleased to hear that it would only be her and Sakuno.

Miyu said, "What are you asking, onii-san? Sakuno and I are going to the beach. What's wrong with that sentence?"

Yukimura said, "Exactly, Sakuno and you are going to the beach by yourselves? In the middle of the summer holidays? Without some more people to keep you company?

Even you should know better. It would be too dangerous. There would be too many guys around at the beach looking for girls like you and Sakuno just so they could have a spot of fun!"

Miyu gave an exaggerated sigh. "Onii-san, I haven't finished speaking. Sakuno wanted to go to the beach and I agreed to take her but she did say that she would like to ask the regulars to go with us because she would feel that it would be happier that way.

I said that I would tell you first and you can ask the others for us. We chose the coming Tuesday because that day, Sakuno and I don't have tennis practice and on a weekday, there wouldn't be so many families around at the beach like during the weekend.

We won't be going to the beach by ourselves because if you guys aren't coming, then I will just find someone else."

Yukimura asked, "If we aren't coming, who will you find?"

He knew that she was not that friendly with boys at school and he knew that most of her girl friends were made at Rikkai Dai and they would be more interested in getting boyfriends at the beach than having fun.

Miyu would be unlikely to get any of them to go with her and Sakuno.

Miyu answered airily, "Oh, I don't know yet. You know that I don't have many friends as close as your regulars but last time, Fuji-san and I exchanged emails and we kept in touch.

I might ask him to get some of his friends to go with us to the beach. After all, Sakuno knows them as well and since I am going because of her, I might as well get people that she can relax around."

She knew that would annoy Yukimura to think of Sakuno being near the Seigaku regulars again and that was why she brought them up.

Yukimura frowned and said, "Don't bother with the Seigaku people. I never said that we won't go. I don't know about the others but I will go with you, so you will at least have one escort. I will ask the others tomorrow, Miyu."

Miyu grinned, "Thanks, onii-san, make sure you say that Sakuno would be really disappointed if they don't say yes."

Yukimura looked at his sister suspiciously. He guessed that his precious sister was up to something but he did not know what.

He was not going to give her the satisfaction of asking though and could only hope that it was not something nasty.

He would have a great shock if he knew that she was trying to let them spend time with Sakuno so she could pair her up with one of them. It would never have occurred to him what she was going on about.

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Miyu was happy with the way her brother had reacted and she went to the kitchen where Sakuno was preparing dinner.

She said to Sakuno, "I asked and onii-san said yes, he will come with us."

Sakuno smiled happily, "That's wonderful! Thank you, Miyu-chan. I am starting to like your idea very much now!"

She honestly started to look forward to spending the day at the beach with her friends from Rikkai. Then, a thought struck her and she asked, "Miyu-chan, what about the others? Will they go?"

Miyu patted her arm, "Don't worry, Sakuno. Onii-san said that he will ask them tomorrow but I am sure that they will all want to come. Come on, it's the summer holidays. They have been practicing all summer already and it's high time that they have a break!"

Sakuno nodded and Miyu continued, "By the way, Sakuno, will you come with me to choose swimsuits? Mine is too ugly and I really want a new one."

Sakuno said, "Sure, I need a new one as well. Let's go tomorrow!"

Miyu was excited now because she rarely went on shopping trips with friends. Most of the girls she knew spend too long deciding and asking repetitive questions like, "Do you think this looks good?" or "Are you sure it doesn't make me look fat?"

She was fine if they asked once or twice but over and over again? That was too much and she learnt to avoid going on shopping trips with them.

However, that left her with no girl friends to go shopping with until Sakuno came along. She tried shopping with her guy pals but they were just as bad in a different way.

They would say, "That looks fine" to everything she chose and would look bored very soon.

In the end, she usually went on shopping trips by herself or with her mother but it was not as much fun, other than the fact that she did not have to pay when she went with her mother.

Now, there was Sakuno to go with her and somehow, she thought that Sakuno would not be the type to ask repetitive questions about style and weight and stuff.

She really looked forward to the beach trip now, not only for Sakuno's sake for also for herself.

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As with every practice, Yukimura stood facing his team-mates at the beginning of practice.

He said straight on, "Coming Tuesday, I won't be coming to practice."

Everyone was surprised by this sudden announcement. Apart from the time that he was ill a few years ago, they had never known Yukimura to miss practice.

They wondered what was up and some of them were immediately worried if it was his health. They all waited for his explanation and it was not long in coming.

Yukimura continued, "Miyu told me last night that she will be going to the beach with Sakuno that day and I have decided to accompany them. It would be too dangerous if they went by themselves and I don't trust anyone else with them.

She also told me to tell you all that Sakuno would like everyone to come because it would be happier. It will be your own decision though."

There was no question about everyone's decision. They all decided to go and for a few minutes, there was excited talk about the beach trip until Sanada lost his temper and got everyone under control.

He was not too pleased about having to cancel practice but he did look forward to spending the day with little Sakuno.

Since she came back, he had not been able to see her much because he had been too busy. He had enjoyed her bento very much though and was definitely going to tell her that.

Niou was also very happy about the beach trip. He looked forward to seeing Sakuno in a swimsuit.

In fact, he was so happy that he wondered if he actually liked her more than he thought.

If that was the case, then he would start making his moves soon because he did not want to lose her just because he was being indecisive.

He also thought of the fun he could have at the beach.

There would be so many unwary people around for him to play with. He smiled evilly at the thought.

Bunta was also thinking of Sakuno. This time, he was actually thinking like a normal eighteen-year-old and not a hungry kid.

His eyes sparkled as he fantasized Sakuno in a bikini but his stomach started to edge in his thoughts.

Sakuno in a bikini holding a basket of food and saying, "Bunta-senpai, I made loads of food just for you!"

He was dreaming so much that he did not notice that Jackal was trying to speak to him.

Jackal had stopped trying when he saw the silly look on Bunta's face and knew that he was up in the clouds somewhere.

He had not been to the beach in a long time and he looked forward to relaxing for a whole day with his friends.

He liked tennis and was determined to play better and better but he did like to have fun as well.

He thought of games they could play at the beach, like beach volley ball or just plain splashing around in the sea.

He suddenly remembered that they could rent floating rafts at the beach. They could rent one of those for the girls.

He was sure that Sakuno would enjoy that and they could push her in the water. Miyu would probably like that as well.

He liked spending time with these two girls because he did not have any siblings and while the regulars were like his brothers, Miyu was like his … actually, sometimes, she was more like another brother but Sakuno was definitely like a sister.

He enjoyed this relation with the friends around him and he knew he would miss it when he graduated from high school.

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Miyu and Sakuno were at one of Miyu's favorite stores, looking at the bright and colorful swimsuits on display.

Miyu was excitedly pulling this one out and that one out.

She was more interested in choosing one for Sakuno than choosing one for herself because she really looked forward to seeing the regulars' eyes popping out of their sockets.

All the styles she pulled out were bikinis and Sakuno had been shocked at some of the styles.

She was not a prudish girl and had her own taste in clothes. She liked clothes that were not too conservative but she did balk at them being too wild or gothic.

She would not have chosen a bikini by herself but she also did not mind wearing one but she did mind wearing bikinis with so little cloth that she might as well as not wear anything.

She did not know that Miyu had been choosing the wild ones on purpose.

She wanted to have a greater contrast for Sakuno to see and if she put two bikinis side by side: one extremely revealing and the other less so. Sakuno would of course choose the less so one and Miyu would have gotten what she wanted.

Sakuno would end up with a sexy bikini and not think too much of it because the alternative would be much more revealing.

Miyu pulled out another revealing bikini, a leopard patterned one this time and added it to the growing pile.

Sakuno said, "Ne, Miyu-chan, don't you think we have enough to choose from for the time being? The salesgirl is glaring at us." She glanced at the salesgirl nearby who was looking a bit impatient.

Normally, Miyu would not have cared less but since Sakuno was feeling nervous, she stopped and they went to the changing rooms to try on some of the bikinis.

Last year, it was Miyu's mother who had accompanied Miyu to shop for swimsuits and Miyu had ended up with a rather traditional one piece that she hated.

It was like one of the school swimsuits that they wore for swimming lessons in the summer.

This time, she was going to choose a stylish one with a daring design.

Actually, she had already had a few in mind. They were mixed in the pile that she had pulled out for Sakuno.

Sakuno looked apprehensively at the pile of bikinis that Miyu had chosen.

Surely she was not expected to try them all? She tried to say, "Ano…"

Miyu cut her off, knowing what it was that she wanted to say, "Don't worry, Sakuno, you don't have to try them all. I just wanted to have a few more choices to compare with. I can't choose properly with them all on hangers."

She fished some out from the pile and said, "I'll try these on. What about you? This one?"

The one Miyu suggested was a black skinny piece with a G-string for the bottom.

Sakuno shook her head vehemently. She was not going to go out wearing anything that would be showing her bare bottom for the world to see.

Miyu shrugged and put the black one aside. She pulled out another outrageous one.

This one had so little cloth that covered only the most important areas and was even worse than the black one. Sakuno shook her head harder and Miyu put that one aside as well.

She found another one to shock Sakuno with. It had a relatively normal bottom piece compared to the other two but the top piece was designed to show more chest than to cover it.

Sakuno shook her head again and asked, "Isn't there a less revealing one, Miyu-chan?"

Miyu pretended to think and browse through the pile as if they were really hard to find and finally pulled one out. It was a light blue two-piece and Sakuno took it thankfully.

Miyu pulled out another two. One was a hot pink bikini that was rather conservative in design and the other one was a pale pink one that covered the important parts well but the top piece showed a bare back.

Miyu pulled out some more. A few of them were very daring and Sakuno refused those and the others not so daring ones, she agreed to try on.

Soon, they started trying on the bikinis.

Miyu very quickly made her choice.

She chose an aquamarine bikini that was very sexy with strings that tied at the neck and the back.

She then waited for Sakuno to try on each bikini and make her choice.

Each time Sakuno tried on a bikini, she would come out and ask Miyu's opinion.

Sometimes, if the bikini was too daring, she would be blushing furiously and Miyu had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

She thought that Sakuno was very cute when she was blushing like that.

Since she was never much of a shy person, she did not really understand how Sakuno could be so easily embarrassed but she did respect the fact that not everyone was like her.

In the end, Sakuno settled with the pale pink bikini that showed her back.

She liked the color and the style did cover everything that needed to be covered safely.

Miyu was also happy with her choice because she had been half nervous that Sakuno would be adamant on a one piece conservative swimsuit.

If she did, Miyu was sure she would pull a first and bawl in public.

Thankfully, she did not have to do that and they paid for their purchases and went for ice-cream.


	31. At the Beach: Part One

_Disclaimer: I don't own The Prince of Tennis._

**Chapter Thirty-One: At the Beach (Part One)**

On Tuesday, Sakuno got up very early to prepare lots of food to take to the beach. She was so happy when she found out that everyone would be joining her, Miyu and Yukimura to the beach.

The night before, she had already prepared some cold delicacies and salad. She hummed happily as she bustled about in the kitchen.

Very soon, Yukimura and Miyu appeared, both looking rather sleepy.

Miyu had been very excited the night before and she could not sleep until very late. Yukimura was simply not a morning person.

They sat down at the kitchen and both looked a bit blank. They stared with half-closed eyes at the busy Sakuno. She was making tea for the two of them, an essential drink to wake them up.

When they were sufficiently awake, they gathered around Sakuno to see what she was preparing.

After Yukimura saw the amount of food Sakuno was making, he went to call Sanada to come over before going to the station.

He told Sanada that he would need some help to carry the food. Sanada agreed to come over and would bring another person to help.

By the other person, he was thinking of the Junior Ace, the emphasis on the word 'Junior'.

Poor Akaya was still the errand boy, messenger and person-to-be-ordered-around for the regulars. Next year, he would be free from all that when the third-years graduated but for now, he was still under their thumb and rule.

This time, however, he did not mind being ordered to help carry the food. That was because he childishly wanted to see Sakuno before the rest of the regulars.

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When Sanada and Akaya turned up at the Yukimura house, it was already late morning. They were going to meet at the station at around half-ten and take the train to the beach.

Akaya greeted Sakuno happily, not that he really showed it. He said with his usual smirk, "Hi, Saku-no-bunny."

Miyu knocked him on the head when she heard him. He glared at her but she had already skipped behind Sakuno and was making faces at him.

Unlike Bunta who would have gotten annoyed and probably stamped his feet, Akaya ignored her when he realized that he could not get at her and went on talking to Sakuno.

He asked what she had been up to lately and she answered him, "Miyu-chan has been helping me with my tennis when we don't have practice. I'm still very bad but Miyu-chan said that I'm improving."

Akaya looked annoyed, "If you want tennis coaching, you could've asked me, Saku-no-bunny! I play better than Miyu, don't I?"

Miyu looked outraged at his words and she was about to speak when Sakuno spoke up, "Thanks, Akaya-senpai. I know that I could've asked you but I didn't want you to be too tired. You have been so busy that I could not bear to ask you to give up more of your time. Besides, you don't have to worry because Miyu-chan is a very good coach."

Miyu's pride was much calmed by what Sakuno said and she made the victory sign at Akaya from behind Sakuno.

After Sanada finished talking with Yukimura in the living room, he went into the kitchen to see if there was anything he could do to help.

He saw Miyu and Akaya bickering with each other and basically being nuisances.

He kicked them out of the kitchen and went to help Sakuno pack the food into bento boxes. Sakuno was very grateful for his help because although she enjoyed doing all that, there was a lot of food and she wanted to finish packing everything as soon as possible so they could head off.

She looked up at the stern Sanada and said with a smile, "Thank you so much, Sanada-senpai. You seem to do everything so well!"

Sanada answered her stoically, "I try my best, that's all. How have you been, Sakuno?"

Sakuno said, "I'm very happy here. Miyu-chan and Yukimura-senpai are both very kind. Miyu-chan is even helping me with my tennis."

Sanada looked at her and said, "I was somewhat worried when you came back from Tokyo. I was worried that you'd be unhappy in Tokyo."

Sakuno was surprised, "I-I'm fine, Sanada-senpai. Actually, when I went back to stay with my grandmother, I was worried too.

I didn't know if I could talk to Tomo-chan and I was nervous that I would bump into Ryoma-kun and that I wouldn't know what to say. I'm actually a bit relieved that I can come back early and stay with Miyu-chan.

You know, senpai, I talked with my grandmother and she understood why I wanted to stay at Rikkai. I also made up with Tomo-chan. We are friends again!"

She beamed at Sanada and he smiled a rare smile, "Then I'm glad for you, Sakuno."

He was relieved that she really was happy and was not just putting a face on for everyone. He was also pleased that she trusted him enough to open up.

At that moment, Yukimura came inside to see how they were doing with the packing.

He also came in to escape Miyu and Akaya who were still bickering in the living room.

Sakuno answered that they were done with the food and she only had to go upstairs to get her bag and change.

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Yukimura, Sanada and Akaya hoisted their bags onto their shoulders and took up the food and off they went.

They arrived at the station and saw Yanagi, Yagyuu, Niou and Jackal waiting.

Bunta was not there yet and they set down their load to wait for him.

Soon he came, huffing and puffing, saying, "I… (huff) slept… (puff) in…(huff)"

Jackal rolled his eyes at his words and Sanada said sternly, "You are too easy on yourself, Bunta!"

Bunta pouted but smiled again when Sakuno patted him on the back sympathetically.

The regulars divided the load between them and they trooped to the platform to wait for the train.

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They arrived relatively early at the beach and found a grand spot to spread their towels and put down their stuff. Jackal and Yanagi went off to rent two beach umbrellas.

The rest of them put the food down on the towels and got out sunscreen and sunglasses and other things they deemed useful.

Miyu went up to Sakuno and said that she would take her to the ladies' changing rooms to change into their swimsuits.

The girls went off with much laughter and the boys stole looks at their backs out of the corners of their eyes.

Niou and Bunta saw Jackal and Yanagi walking towards them carrying the beach umbrellas and they went to help them.

The four of them stuck the umbrellas into the sand around the towels to provide shade for anyone who wanted it.

The boys did not want to go and change into the public changing rooms so they had already put on their swimming trunks under the clothes earlier. They stripped down quickly into their swimming trunks before the girls came back.

Yagyuu had changed his normal glasses into a pair of stylish sunglasses and had already taken a novel out to read while they waited.

It was not noon yet but already the sun was shining bright and high. It was going to be a very hot and sunny day.

Yukimura also put on a pair of sunglasses and he leaned back on the towels to bask in the sun.

He knew he should have put on sunscreen but he wanted to ask Sakuno to help him. Beautiful as he was, he was still very much male.

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As Akaya wondered aloud what was keeping the girls, they came back and everyone stared, even Yagyuu put down his novel and Yukimura took off his sunglasses.

Miyu was actually a beautiful girl with a tall, slim and model-like figure. She was wearing the bikini she had bought and it showed off her pale skin.

She did not tan easily, like her brother and her skin flushed with health. However, the boys were not staring at her; they were too used to her to really regard her as a girl.

Besides, it was not as if they had not seen her in a swimsuit before. No, they were not staring at her but at the smaller girl beside her.

Sakuno was looking at Miyu as they chatted and did not notice the attention she was attracting.

Her hair was flowing out behind her as she walked, still in the braids she usually wore. Her skin was also very pale against her dark hair but her cheeks were a rosy pink.

She was wearing the bikini she had chosen with Miyu's help and this time, the boys saw clearly that Sakuno was definitely female.

She had a slim but curvy figure that was usually hidden behind the clothes she wore. It was not because she chose clothes that were too big but because she was simply the type that looked slimmer when she had clothes on.

The top piece of the bikini pushed her firm, round breasts up and displayed a nice cleavage.

Due to her tennis practices and simple girly vanity, Sakuno kept her tummy flat and the bikini looked wonderful on her.

She had no idea how enticing she looked and Miyu kept her attention from actually noticing that she had a cleavage because she did not know how Sakuno would react to it.

Most of the clothes Sakuno owned might be stylish but they were not the type to show any cleavage and Miyu thought she would be embarrassed if she knew.

Whilst talking with Sakuno, she was also noticing the boys' reactions and almost laughed out loud.

Her brother had sat up and he was looking intently at her sweet friend. The look in his eyes was definitely not one of a gentleman's.

Akaya had lost his normal smirk and his eyes had widened into round saucers.

Jackal was rubbing his eyes as if he doubted the sight in front of him. He had never really thought of Sakuno as a girl, more as a friend that was something like a sister and one did not connect the word 'sister' with the words 'nice body' with an exclamation mark at the end.

Bunta already knew that Sakuno was curvier than she seemed and was not as shocked as the others but even he stared and he remembered the feel of her front against his back. To his credit, he did not have a nose-bleed this time but he still could not stop his blush from spreading over his cheeks.

Yanagi was already scribbling in his forever present notebook. This was something that he had no idea of and he was thrilled to be able to record it.

By 'something', he was thinking not of the regulars' reactions but of the possible measurements of the girls' bodies.

He did not know what it might be useful for but one never knew and it was always wise to be prepared. He did think about whether it would be unethical to sell the information to people who might be interested but since he did not have the exact measurements yet, that point was moot.

Yagyuu was of two minds about this situation. This situation actually meant his need for glasses.

He was glad that he was wearing glasses because no one could tell that he was staring at Sakuno's lovely breasts, flat stomach and smooth, white legs.

He was not happy because he was wearing sunglasses and they did not give as clear a picture as his normal glasses.

Niou was beside Yagyuu and like him, he was staring at Sakuno's body.

Unlike him, he did not care if anyone noticed because he simply did not have room in his mind for other thoughts.

He wanted so much to rush up and cover her up from head to toe because she looked so innocently sexy in that bikini. While he loved looking at her like that, he was possessive enough that he did not want anyone else to see her like that.

However, since he was not her special someone, not yet anyway, he could only keep his thoughts inside.

No one knew but Yukimura was feeling exactly the same as Niou. He loved the sight of Sakuno in a bikini but he hated that fact that he had to share that precious sight.

He controlled his expression as the girls came back to their spot and Sakuno was looking at them shyly. He said, "You look lovely, Sakuno. You look lovely too, Miyu."

His expression was friendly but inside he was thinking that if he saw anyone trying to hit on the two girls, he would have an outlet for his frustration.

Sakuno beamed at his praise and Miyu said, "See, Sakuno, I told you that you look good in that!"

She was very pleased with herself. Sakuno nodded shyly and she looked around for the sunscreen.

As she puttered around the bags, the other boys came up to her. Bunta said, "Sakuno-chan, pink suits you! Do you want a piece of gum?"

Before she could answer him, Akaya had pushed his senpai aside and said, "Saku-no-bunny, I always knew you would look nice in a bikini. You should wear it more often."

He actually accompanied this statement with a grave nod. Jackal thumped him on the head, "Don't be silly, now, you've made her embarrassed. Sakuno, don't mind him, he was just joking but honestly, you look really nice."

Akaya was about to say that he was being serious when Yagyuu clamped his hand over Akaya's big mouth and said, "Ryuzaki-san, you look beautiful today but make sure you put on sunscreen because it would be such a pity to spoil that lovely skin."

Sakuno said, "Thank you, Yagyuu-senpai. Ah… maybe you should let go of Akaya-senpai. I-I think he's turning a bit green."

Yagyuu looked down at Akaya and said calmly, "Indeed, he is turning green, thank you for telling me, Ryuzaki-san." He then released the suffocating Akaya and took him aside for a good talking-to.

Niou handed the sunscreen to Sakuno and said, "Sakuno, Yagyuu's right. You should put on sunscreen. Here, let me help you with the back."

Sakuno blushed bright red and stammered, "Ah… ah… I-I-I'll be fine, Niou-senpai!"

At that moment, Sanada appeared and pulled Niou away by his neck, "Don't be impertinent." Sakuno looked relieved when Sanada appeared.

Sanada had been struck speechless at first when he saw Sakuno.

To him, she was someone to protect, a little sister and suddenly, she seemed not so little after all.

He had not known what to think but when he saw her stammering, he instinctively stepped forward and pulled Niou away to keep him from embarrassing her further.

He said, "Sakuno, get Miyu to help you with the sunscreen. Niou was only joking; don't take him or Akaya seriously."

Sakuno answered, "H-hai, Sanada-senpai. Ano… senpai, do you… do you think that I look okay?" Sanada looked surprised that she would ask him but he answered, "You look very nice, Sakuno."

Sakuno smiled at him and went off to find Miyu. She did not know why but she wanted his approval on her appearance.

It did not feel the same as her nervousness about her appearance when she went out with Ryoma-kun so she knew that she did not have a crush on Sanada.

She wondered what it could be but being a simple girl, she quickly put it at the back of her mind and asked Miyu to help her with the sunscreen.

Miyu said yes, of course and while she was rubbing the sunscreen onto Sakuno's back, she kept exclaiming loudly that Sakuno had such soft and smooth skin.

She noticed that the boys were looking at them out of the corner of their eyes and grinned, knowing they heard what she had said.

She quickly finished and then she asked Sakuno to do the same for her.

While Sakuno was rubbing the sunscreen onto her back, Miyu grinned and asked the regulars in her wicked way, "Why aren't you guys putting sunscreen on? It's going to be really sunny today, isn't it, Sakuno? You should put it on while we are doing it because Sakuno and I want to hit the water as soon as possible!"

Sakuno looked up from her job in surprise, "Senpai-tachi, haven't you put on sunscreen yet? Miyu-chan's right, it's going to be very sunny today. You really should put on sunscreen as soon as possible!"

Since she was still helping Miyu with the sunscreen, the boys had no choice but to apply the sunscreen themselves.

They glared at Miyu while they did so. She knew perfectly well what a number of them were thinking.

Yanagi, Sanada and Yagyuu had put on sunscreen even before Miyu said anything but Bunta, Akaya, Jackal, Yukimura and Niou were hoping to ask Sakuno to help them.

Outstanding as these boys were, they were still hot-blooded young men at the age most interested in the opposite sex so it was no surprise that they were extremely annoyed at Miyu's interference.

It was not to say Sanada, Yagyuu and Yanagi were abnormal.

Yanagi was just more interested in other things.

Yagyuu, though he would rather Sakuno rub the sunscreen onto his back, was too much of a gentleman to ask her to do something that might make her blush.

Sanada was simply a firm believer in self-sufficiency.

They watched in mild amusement at the glum faces of Bunta, Akaya and Jackal as they were forced to help each other with the sunscreen.

Niou and Yukimura carefully kept their faces blank as they did theirs.

Soon, everyone had their skin well protected and was ready to hit the water!


	32. At the Beach: Part Two

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis._

_Author's Words: This chapter is not supposed to up so soon because I am supposed to be studying. However, due to my lack of self-control, I finished it and here it is. The next one may be much later so please be patient._

**Chapter Thirty-Two: At the Beach (Part Two)**

Miyu, Bunta, Akaya, Jackal and Sakuno got a beach ball and they ran down to the water to play.

Niou decided he would join them later but for the time being, he had something else to do. He wanted to calm himself before being with Sakuno and so he took a small bucket and went off to gather shells.

Yagyuu continued reading his novel leisurely.

Sanada had already gone to the sea to swim laps. He enjoyed this chance to train in nature.

Yukimura decided to bask in the sun for a bit before doing anything else. He had so little time to himself that he wanted to relax using this opportunity.

There were no decisions for him to make and no work for him to do. He could just lie back and let his mind wander… to the sight of Sakuno in her lovely swimsuit.

It seemed that he liked her more than he originally thought if he was thinking about her even when he did not mean to.

He guessed it would soon be time to begin courting her, if he did not want to lose her to another. However, he told himself, it would not be today because today was to be a relaxing day.

Yanagi had also put aside his notebook and went down to the sea to join Sanada. The beach was starting to get crowded and he wanted to swim for a bit before other people crowded up the sea.

As he swam out from the shore, he saw Bunta throwing the ball towards Akaya and Akaya hitting it to Miyu. He smiled at their lightheartedness. It would be good for them to relax.

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Jackal caught the ball from Miyu and he threw it to Sakuno. She missed it and the ball floated away.

Sakuno swam towards it and caught it in her hands. She laughed and threw it to Akaya who made a funny face and used his head to butt it towards Miyu's direction. Then he immediately splashed water at Sakuno.

At his move, the others left the ball and started splashing each other. The air was filled with water and their laughter.

Jackal dived under water and pulled Akaya's legs from under him. When Akaya came to the surface, Jackal had already swum away, laughing.

Bunta and Miyu laughed at the look on Akaya's face and he went after them instead. They spread out and Sakuno laughed with mirth at their antics.

She was very happy to be with her friends on this beautiful day. She giggled as Bunta swam towards her and then behind her as he tried to get away from Akaya.

The two boys childishly circled each other around her and both were surprised when Miyu and Jackal popped up from the water and dunked them under the waves.

It was a time filled with fun and mischief and laughter and they thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Niou filled his bucket with shells and walked back to where Yagyuu and Yukimura were still basking in the sun. Yagyuu had put aside his novel and was chatting with Yukimura.

They looked up when Niou greeted them with a cheery, "Hey." He sat down and dumped his shells onto the sand. He then went off again with the empty bucket and came back with it full of water.

Yukimura asked, "What are you doing, Niou?" Niou grinned and said, "You'll see." Yagyuu said nothing but watched bemusedly when Niou started to wash the shells using the water in the bucket.

It was mostly to clear the sand from the shells and then he put them onto the towels they were sitting on. The shells were very pretty and some of them had really funny shapes.

When Niou finished washing all the shells, he divided them into two piles.

One pile was full of extremely pretty shells with lovely colors that sparkled in the bright sunlight. The other pile was of the other shells that had funny shapes.

He took a handkerchief out of his bag and used it to wrap the pretty shells up in a bundle. The other shells he just dumped back into the bucket unceremoniously. Then he looked around the beach.

By that time, it was very crowded and noisy. It was filled with young people like them.

Some were groups of girls in bikinis and their faces were thick with make-up. It was obviously that they were at the beach for a summer fling more than anything else.

There were also groups of guys who were rubbing so much sunscreen onto their bodies that they would have shone without the sun shining on them. They flexed their 'muscles' and pretended to be hunky.

There were people sunbathing all over the beach and some were so comfortable that they had falling asleep. Everyone was too concerned with themselves that they did not pay attention to anyone else.

Niou grinned again and got up with his basket of shells. Yagyuu said dryly, "Off to have fun, are you?"

Niou answered his friend and partner, "What do you think?"

Yukimura smiled, "Just be careful not to get into trouble, Niou."

Niou waved back at them as he walked away, saying, "Hai hai"

He had put his sunglasses on and with his pale hair, he looked rather like a delinquent student and everyone who noticed him looked away, not wanting to catch his attention.

That suited him just fine and he soon found what he was looking for. It was a single guy who had fallen asleep while he was sunbathing.

Niou thought to himself, "Summer is always full of this type of silly fools."

He went near the guy quickly and randomly picked a several shells from his bucket and scattered them carefully onto the guy's body. When he woke up, he was going to get a great shock to find his precious tan ruined by random shapes.

Niou grinned to himself, "Let's hope that this guy has friends around or he won't be going to the pool or the beach again this summer!" He walked away and started looking for another victim.

This time, it was two girls. They were lying on their stomachs and chatting to each other.

He went up and said to one of them, giving her the full force of his devastating smile, "Hey gorgeous, I'm employed by this beach to help beautiful ladies like you with sunscreen massages. May I?"

He could use his charm when he wanted to and the girl simpered and batted her eyelashes as she bought his lie and agreed. Her friend watched jealously and said, "Will you help me too?"

Niou said, "Of course, beautiful!" He got the sunscreen and did what he said he was going to do. The girls were very pleased after he finished his sunscreen massage.

In fact, they were so comfortable and sleepy that they did not notice there were parts that Niou left out. When they went home that day, wearing bare-back sundresses, they noticed people staring at their backs with funny looks.

They did not realize until later that Niou had not applied sunscreen to part of their upper-backs.

As a result, one girl had the word 'fat' on her back while her friend had the picture of an apple on hers.

Like that, Niou went around the beach ruining people's tans with his shells and sunscreen.

It was amazing how he got away with it. It was probably because he looked as if he belonged everywhere and had the right to be where he was that people did not notice what he was doing.

He very quickly used up all his shells and by that time, he was getting hungry. He thought that it must be lunchtime and he made his way back to their spot.

He grinned to himself as he thought of one pattern that he had with the shells on a guy who was lying on his back. That guy was so deeply asleep that he was snoring out loud.

He had used shells to play tic-tac-toe on the guy's body and had even left little shells on his forehead and cheeks. The guy never even stirred!

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Sakuno looked up and saw Niou walking back.

All the others had come back earlier because they were hungry. She had already opened the bento boxes and some of them were eating already.

She got one of the bento boxes and ran up to Niou, "Niou-senpai, you're back! I was afraid that you won't be back until later and by then, all the food would be gone! Here, have some sandwiches!"

Niou smiled a genuine smile at her thoughtfulness and took a sandwich. He took a bite and said, "Delicious! Did you make all these food, Sakuno?"

Sakuno nodded and Niou teased her gently, "Then you're all ready to become a bride, with cooking skills like yours!"

Sakuno blushed at his words, "Mou, Niou-senpai! Don't be silly!"

Niou grinned, "What do you mean? I was serious, ne, Bunta?"

He turned to Bunta for support. Bunta was stuffing his face and did not know what they were talking about but he nodded at them anyway, mumbling something unintelligible.

Niou said, "See, Sakuno, even Bunta agrees!"

Sakuno giggled, "Bunta-senpai didn't know what we were talking about! He wasn't paying attention, Niou-senpai!"

Even though she knew that Niou was not serious, she was still happy when someone praised her cooking.

When Niou finished his sandwich, she handed him another bento box with chicken drumsticks in neat rows and the ends wrapped with tinfoil. He thanked her and took one.

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Sakuno looked around at the group.

Everyone was tucking in and she also made sure that they had something to drink. She enjoyed being like this with her friends, feeding them and taking care of them.

She noticed Bunta and Akaya scabbing over the last chicken drumstick when Niou stole it from under their noses. She giggled when he smirked at them and took a huge bite.

Yukimura heard her laughter and said, "The food is very tasty, Sakuno! Thank you for making all that for us!"

Sakuno shook her head with a hint of red tinting her cheeks, "Ah… it's nothing really, I like cooking for people anyway, Yukimura-senpai!" She liked doing things for people but she was not used to people thanking her.

Miyu finished the salad she was eating and leaned back, rubbing her stomach, "Oh my goodness, I can't eat anymore. I'm so full"

Sakuno giggled and said, "Here, Miyu-chan, have some tea." She had brought tea using thermal flasks that she had found in the kitchen and Miyu gratefully accepted a cup.

Sakuno also poured tea for Yukimura, Sanada, Yanagi and Yagyuu. They had finished eating and only Akaya, Bunta, Jackal and Niou were still tucking in.

There was not much food left and soon, everyone was sitting with a cup of tea in their hands and saying what a great meal it was and that she should cook more often.

Bunta complained, "Sakuno-chan, it's not fair! You cook for Yukimura and Miyu all the time! I want you to cook for me too!"

Akaya joined in, "Bunta-senpai's right, Saku-no-bunny! I want to eat your cooking as well!"

The two of them started to moan like two little kids until Yukimura said gently, "Bunta, Akaya, you two don't want to make it difficult for Sakuno, do you?"

Sakuno was grateful that Yukimura stopped them because she did not know what to say. She did not mind cooking for them but making so much food was very tiring and she did not think she could do it everyday.

Besides, this was like a picnic outing at the beach, so it was special. Usually, for lunch, she would use more meat and rice and less decorations.

She liked making the bento boxes pretty but that also took a lot of effort and time so she could not do it all the time.

Yagyuu sipped his tea and said, "What do you want to do after we are rested from this lovely meal, Ryuzaki-san?" Sakuno answered shyly, "I-I don't know yet…"

Yanagi said, "We could think about it while we drink our tea. We shouldn't do anything vigorous anyway so soon after a meal."

They all agreed and Sanada said that he was going for a work. Sakuno wanted to join him but she did not know how to ask.

Fortunately, Sanada seemed to be able to read her mind and he said, "Would you like to come, Sakuno?" His tone was softer than usual and Sakuno smiled and nodded. They waved to the others as they walked off.

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Sakuno made little talk on what she had been doing with Miyu during the holidays and listened when Sanada made comments.

She talked about a movie that she and Miyu saw at the cinema one day and the topic changed to movies that they had seen or not seen. They liked very different movies but both enjoyed what the other was saying.

Sanada liked movies that had meaning and a deeper side to it while Sakuno preferred romantic dramas and family movies.

Sanada concurred that they have their entertainment value and Sakuno was so relaxed that she said without thinking, "Since you said that, next time, you'll have to come and see one of them, Sanada-senpai!"

She then realized what she had said and stammered, "I-I mean, if you have time…"

Sanada let loose a rare laugh at her confused and embarrassed expression. He knew that she could not believe that she had just been so forward as to invite a boy to the cinema.

He said, "Next time, I'll come with you to see a family movie but definitely not a romantic one, Sakuno."

Sakuno looked up in surprise and nodded with a smile, "Hai!"

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They continued on walking when they noticed a crowd in front of them. It looked to be an argument that might escalate into a fight.

Sanada would have led Sakuno away if he had not recognized two of the people in the middle of the crowd.

One was Sengoku Kiyosumi and the other was Tachibana Kippei.

Some other guys were shaking their fists at the two of them. Sengoku was saying something with an easy-go smile on his face which did not help the situation because it only made the other guys angrier.

Tachibana was also not helping because he never was much of a sweet-talker.

Sanada thought that he could not just leave them there when it was so obvious they were in trouble.

He wished for a second that it was Niou or Yukimura there. The two of them had tongues coated with sugar and honey and everything sweet when they wanted to sweet-talk someone.

As it was, he took hold of Sakuno's hand and said to her, "Stay behind me, Sakuno." With that, he pulled the confused Sakuno into the crowd.

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Sakuno was too short to see what Sanada had seen and she stumbled along with Sanada through the crowd until he stopped.

Then she saw some familiar faces from Tokyo.

One of them was Tachibana An.

An had an angry look on her face and her brother was standing in front of her.

She also saw Sengoku Kiyosumi, Ibu Shinji, Kamio Akira, Mizuki Hajime and Fuji Yuta.

She called out in surprise, "An-chan!" An looked around when she heard someone call her name. She saw Sakuno and came over.

She said, "Sakuno? What are you doing here?"

Sakuno explained, "I'm here with my friends. What's happening? Are you in trouble?"

An smiled, "Don't worry, those jerks were trying to chat some girls up and were being nasty so I went up and told them to get a life. Then they got angry and now, my brother's involved."

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Since Fudomine Middle School and St. Rudolph Institute did not have a senior section, the students had to go to other schools when they graduated.

Fuji Yuta refused to go to Seigaku where his brother was and went to Yamabuki Senior School instead.

Mizuki thought that this school had potential and went with him. Tachibana also went to this school and later, his sister, Ibu and Kamio all went there.

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Kamio had always had a crush on An and was furious when he saw the guys shove her so hard that she fell onto the sand.

Tachibana stopped him from hitting anyone but Sengoku had come up and tsked at the guys saying that they would never get girlfriends that way.

The guys did not like his 'advice' of course and both sides got quite heated.

Tachibana tried to calm them down but his authoritative manner only infuriated the guys.

Ibu was no help at all because he kept muttering stuff about how the other guys lack nutrition if they get angry so easily and that they were in the wrong in the place and that they were only angry because no girl wanted to talk to them and etc, etc, etc.

Mizuki was also no help because he only stood to one side with his hand on his chin as he made snide comments.

He had every confidence that Tachibana would not allow this to turn out into a full-blown fight because of the danger of being banned from tournaments. Therefore he was in no hurry to step forward and help.

Actually, Tachibana was grateful that he did not because with Mizuki's attitude, it would only make things worse.

Yuta was standing next to Tachibana, ready to help but not sure what to do without a fight breaking out.

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Sanada said, "Tachibana, Sengoku, what's the matter?" They looked at him and Tachibana immediately let out a sigh of relief.

He may be an authoritative figure but he lacked Sanada's intimidating presence. Sanada could silence a crowd simply with one word and a glare.

Tachibana was honest to admit when he would appreciate the help and he said, "We have a slight misunderstanding here, Sanada."

Sengoku grinned and said, "Yo, Sanada!"

He did not seem to realize that he was part of what was making the other guys angry and when he spied Sakuno looking out from behind Sanada, he whistled and hopped over so quickly that he could have been Kamio.

He smiled, "Hey there, aren't you pretty? My name's Sengoku Kiyosumi. What's yours?" Sakuno was speechless with surprise and An sighed.

Sengoku ignored the glare that Sanada was giving and continued to try and get Sakuno to talk.

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By that time, the other guys were so furious that one of them stepped toward Sengoku, saying, "Hey, I was talking to…"

He did not finish his sentence because Sanada had stepped in front of him.

Sanada was tall and well-built to begin with and when he glared down at the shorter guy, the guy forgot his words and unconsciously took a step backward.

Sanada spoke, "What was the problem?"

His voice was deep and stern and the other guys had enough sense to know that this was one person they should not mess with.

They stammered, "N-nothing… uh… we should go now. Bye!" They ran off quickly, pulling their intimidated friend with them.

Tachibana sighed again and thanked Sanada with real gratitude.

Sanada nodded at him and turned, only to find that Sengoku was holding little Sakuno's hand and not letting go.

He was still talking when Sanada held Sakuno's other hand and said, "We should go now, Sakuno."

He separated Sengoku's hand from Sakuno's and turned to walk off. In his mind, he had done his duty and there was no need to socialize further.

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Sakuno was grateful Sanada separated Sengoku from her because he was getting too friendly. However, she also wanted to chat with An further because they had not seen each other in a long time.

Fortunately, An felt the same because she ran after them, calling, "Wait, can we come with you? I want to chat with Sakuno!"

Sanada stopped and looked at Sakuno who was beseeching him with her eyes. He said, "If you like."

Therefore, the whole lot of them walked back to where the other Rikkai regulars and Miyu were waiting: Tachibana, An, Ibu, Kamio, Sengoku, Mizuki and Yuta.


	33. At the Beach: Part Three

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis._

**Chapter Thirty-Three: At the Beach (Part Three)**

Yukimura's eyes widened with surprise when he saw the entourage following Sanada and Sakuno. Then they narrowed as he noticed Sanada holding Sakuno's hand.

He composed his expression very quickly and waited for Sanada to explain. All the others also looked at Sanada expectantly.

It was unlike him to attract such a following when he was not in school uniform, kendo-fuku or tennis uniform. After all, he was not exactly the type people just warm up to at the beach. Well, there were always girls who went for him but those following him now were boys and the one girl did not seem to be interested in him.

They were even more curious when they identified who were following him.

Yanagi immediately got out his notebook; it was not everyday that he had a chance to record enemy data outside the court.

Miyu did not know all these people because she did not go to a lot of her brother's games. She had been watching them play tennis for so long that unless her brother seemed excited, she would not bother to go and watch.

If her brother was excited, then the game would sometimes be more fun to watch but otherwise, it was usually a very one-sided game.

She actually preferred watching the team practice because the game would be more even and it was not everyday that they play seriously against each other for whole sets. Usually they would stop every now and then during practice to talk about what they were doing wrong or how they could improve.

Therefore she was even more curious than the rest of the guys, especially when she thought that one of the faces seemed familiar.

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Sanada was a bit annoyed because he thought that this situation to be unnecessary.

He did not want to explain all that had happened and so, he said shortly and rather abruptly, "They will be joining us for the rest of the afternoon."

With that, he turned to Sakuno and said softly, "I'm going to buy a drink. What do you want, Sakuno?"

The Rikkai guys were pretty much used to his abrupt changes when he was speaking to Sakuno but Tachibana's eyebrows lifted when he heard the famed Rikkai boys' tennis fukubuchou use such a gentle tone with a slip of a girl.

A pretty girl but still it was a slight shock for him.

An was a smart and observant girl and she thought this ought to be fun.

Mizuki also smiled with interest at what he was noticing.

Ibu was staring at nothing in particular and muttering about girls being unpredictable as the weather and how it was An-chan who wanted to go to the beach and now they were at the beach, she was going to play with her girl friend and not them and leave Kamio in a sulky mood and how he was going to have to deal with it and etc.

Kamio only had eyes for An and he did not notice anything else. He was thinking that she was looking very pretty with the smile on her face.

Fuji Yuta was feeling rather uncomfortable because he was dragged to the beach by Mizuki and Sengoku and he did not really know what he was doing there.

Sengoku was already saying bright and happy 'hellos' to the Rikkai guys because he knew all of them from tournaments.

Actually Tachibana also knew all of them but being more reserved, he saved the happy opening to Sengoku and went sit down near Yukimura, Yagyuu and Yanagi, their area being a bit quieter.

Sanada had already walked away from the going-to-be noisy and rowdy group with the addiction of frivolous Sengoku, hot-headed and quick-tempered Kamio and Yuta and the bound to wind-up-someone Mizuki.

Sakuno pulled An to where Miyu, Bunta, Jackal and Akaya was and they sat down.

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An already knew Jackal and Akaya and she said 'hi' to Jackal and nodded to Akaya.

Sakuno introduced Bunta and Miyu to her and the two girls had an instant bond. Both were friendly by nature and they both had brothers who were the leader type.

They started chatting and Miyu told An about how she and Sakuno became friends in the first place.

She did not say anything about Sakuno's reasons for changing schools though but she did tell An about how Sakuno hurt her ankle and had to hop around for two weeks.

Sakuno blushed and said, "Mou, Miyu-chan!"

She looked so cute with her pink cheeks that Bunta and Akaya joined in with the teasing.

Akaya even went beside her and pulled her to his side, saying, "Saku-no-bunny is all pink now!"

An asked, "What was that you called her, Kirihara?"

Akaya looked very proud of himself and said with his nose in the air, "Saku-no-bunny, because she's my bunny, ne, Saku-no-bunny?"

Sakuno tried to push him away ineffectively, laughing, "Mou, Akaya-senpai, I'm not your bunny!"

It was all in good nature and very soon, Niou, Ibu, Kamio and Yuta joined them.

The introductions started again and when Miyu heard Yuta's name, she exclaimed, "Fuji Yuta? You have the same surname as that Fuji from Seigaku! No wonder I thought you look familiar, you must be his brother! I heard that he has a brother."

Yuta hated being called Fuji's brother and he was about to get angry when Miyu smiled and said, "Well, I'm Yukimura's sister, Miyu. Nice to meet you, Fuji Yuta. I shall call you Yuta-san because I don't want to get confused when I am speaking to you or Fuji-san. Is that okay, Yuta-san?"

She was so straight-forward and friendly that Yuta could not get offended and he nodded with a slight blush. He was not used to such straight-forwardness from girls.

On the other side, Mizuki had started chatting to Yanagi and when Yagyuu heard what they were talking about, he decided to escape to Sakuno's lot.

Mizuki and Yanagi were comparing information they had collected. The information they were comparing had another, more appropriate name and that would be 'gossip'.

Yes, these two upstanding, outstanding young men were sitting there, gossiping like women in a fish market when there were no customers.

Mizuki said, "I totally agree with what you just said. Love letters to our tennis players should be encouraged! They are a sign of student support and student support is extremely important.

I mean, look at Atobe-kun and his followers. Ever when they lose, the Hyotei team always leaves the court with dignity because they have so many followers."

Yanagi nodded, with his hand on his chin, "You think so too, Mizuki? I tried to get Sanada not to throw away the love letters he got but give them to me to if he did not want them.

I only wanted to the statistics so I can get more subsidies from the student council when we have meetings! However, Sanada never gives them to me, saying stuff about privacy. I mean, he only throws them away!"

Mizuki signed, "Ah, statistics ka? That is a really good idea but I have such a hard time talking to my team about it. Tachibana is like Sanada in that way. I can always steal the letters from his locker but that is so undignified.

Kamio and Ibu never receive any. Sengoku would never part with his. Actually, I think he drives off more fans than he attracts."

Sengoku sensing that Mizuki was saying something bad about him, turned to Mizuki and said, "What did you say?"

Mizuki shook his head with a smile, "Nothing, Sengoku-kun!"

Sengoku looked skeptical but he ignored them and went on talking to Miyu with Yukimura hovering around.

He had noticed the two girls with the group when he arrived and when Mizuki started talking to Yanagi, he turned to Yukimura and asked about them, especially the one who looked so much like him.

At his words, Yukimura looked very proud and happy. He always enjoyed talking about his sister and he dragged Miyu from the group and introduced her to Sengoku.

Now, he was regretting his decision because he was remembering some things about Sengoku that Yanagi once said.

Yanagi had said, "Sengoku Kiyosumi, very talented and hard-working tennis-player. Also the luckiest player I have in my records. He is also famous for his love and interest in the opposite sex."

Miyu laughed good-naturedly at something that Sengoku had said and Yukimura grew pale.

Tachibana was relaxing near Yukimura and was watching with some amusement at Yukimura's obvious protectiveness. He could tell that Miyu was somewhat like his sister and that meant she could very well hold her own against Sengoku.

Besides, after getting to know Sengoku when they started to study in the same school, he knew that while he liked girls, he also kept his distance and was not as loose as he seemed. Therefore, he took this chance to lie back and take a break.

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As the group was being noisy and rowdy, Sanada came back with the drinks he bought for himself and Sakuno.

Sakuno noticed him coming back and got up. As she turned to Sanada, her foot tripped over a bag in the way and she flapped her arms frantically, trying without success to keep from falling.

The people nearest to her were Niou, Ibu, Yuta and Akaya and they all lunged towards her, trying to catch her but there were too many people trying to do the same thing and they not only got into each other's way.

They also caused Sakuno to fall quicker onto the sand.

To be correct, Ibu did not actually mean to try and catch Sakuno but he was pushed by the others and Yuta was simply acting on instinct.

In the end, Sakuno ended up face down in the sand and all the others were tangled into a big pile half on top of her.

Miyu, Yukimura and Sengoku got caught in the 'cross-fire' and this spectacle was what greeted Sanada as he returned.

Yanagi had already taken out his camera and were clicking away at the absurd sight.

Mizuki was standing next to him and saying, "Can you send them to me later, Yanagi-kun?"

Bunta, Kamio and An all had their mouths open with surprise and there were a few moments of silence.

Tachibana was sitting up with surprise at the sudden accident.

All around them, the beach still buzzed with life but this little spot here was like a tableau.

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Yagyuu and Sanada were the first ones to recover their composure.

Yagyuu went and cleared a space and got out the first-aid.

Sanada put down the drinks and proceeded to kick everyone off Sakuno. She was so small compared to the others lying on top of her that he was afraid she might be squashed.

On top of the pile were Yuta and Akaya and Sanada unceremoniously shoved Akaya off and pulled Yuta away.

Then he got rid of Ibu and Miyu who were next in the pile.

Yukimura, Niou and Sengoku untangled themselves, not wanting to wait for Sanada to kick them off. Thankfully they were quick enough because Sanada was already lifting Sakuno off the sand and she was coughing sand out of her mouth.

Yukimura and Niou pushed Sengoku out of their way and got to Sakuno's side immediately.

They both frowned when they saw there was sand all over Sakuno. There was sand in her hair and sand stuck to her body.

Yukimura rarely raised his voice but this time, he yelled for some water and a towel.

Miyu or Akaya would have gotten what he wanted but when Sanada shoved them out of the way, they were shoved in the same direction and were tangled together in another pile of bags.

Now, these two were having an argument whilst trying to untangle themselves from the bags and did not hear Yukimura.

Instead Bunta came out of his surprise and got the water bottle nearest him and a towel and handed them to Yukimura. Yukimura took them and he wetted the towel with the clear water.

Niou and Sanada were helping Sakuno to sit up.

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Tachibana had gotten up to see to the others.

Ibu had sat up already and was again, muttering to himself about how it was not a good day for the beach and that he did not want to come in the first place and wondering why he was here, suffering from being ignored by Kamio and now, being squashed and pushed around, etc.

Tachibana thought with wryly that since he was talking, he should be fine. Then he asked if Yuta was fine.

Yuta answered that he was and added, "Tachibana-senpai, shouldn't we do something to help Kirihara and Yukimura-san's sister?" He looked at the two still yelling at each other.

Tachibana said, "They should be fine if they have the lungs to make that much noise."

Sengoku stood up, patting the sand off himself and went to nose about the girl who caused him to be squashed and shoved.

His sharp eyes had not missed the frantic expressions on Niou's and Yukimura's faces when they pushed him out of the way. He squatted next to Yukimura who was wiping Sakuno's face free of sand.

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Sakuno was trying to say between Yukimura's ministrations that she was fine and she could do it herself because she was not a child.

Yukimura ignored her, as did Sanada, Yagyuu and Niou, all of them saying that she had scratches again and this time was worse than the last time because she fell on sand.

They also added that she was squashed and she probably swallowed sand and maybe they should talk her to the doctor in case she ate too much sand.

By this time, Sakuno went on to protesting that it was not that serious and it happened to her all the time, the falling, not the being squashed, she meant.

Sengoku listened to them and thought he had never heard them like this before. He wondered, "Maybe this girl is really frail or something? They sound like over-protective mother-hens!"

Out loud, he said, "Ne, she looks fine to me. Don't you think so, Tachibana?"

Tachibana had also made his way over here and had heard their over-anxious conversation.

He nodded and Sakuno was quick to add this time, "See? I'm really alright, senpai-tachi! I don't even hurt because this time, I fell on soft ground, ne!"

She sounded as if she was proud of herself for falling on the sand and not the gravel and it made Yukimura and Sanada raise their eyebrows and Sengoku laughed out loud.

Niou knocked her gently on the head and said, "De? You still fell, Sakuno."

Sakuno tried to defend herself, "But, Niou-senpai, I didn't hurt my ankle this time! It must be an improvement!"

Yagyuu said, "Ryuzaki-san, let us fuss over you a bit. We are worried and besides, we want to do something for you in return for all that delicious food."

He sounded so reasonable that Sakuno said, "Ah… hai, Yagyuu-senpai."

Sanada marveled at Yagyuu's cleverness at coming up with that lame excuse and Sengoku laughed even harder at this slightly silly conversation.

Tachibana said, "Sengoku, you're laughing too much."

Sakuno was confused, "What did I say?"

Bunta came by with another water bottle and said, "Don't mind Sengoku, Sakuno. He likes to laugh."

Sengoku had stopped laughing at this point and winked at Sakuno, "I was laughing because you are cute, little girl!"

Sakuno was surprised and she blushed lightly, "Ah?"

Sanada glared at Sengoku but the latter took no notice and went on, "You are really cute, little girl! What's your name? Do you have a boyfriend? Would you…"

Tachibana clamped his hand over Sengoku's mouth and dragged him off.

He had noticed that not only Sanada's face was turning black. Yukimura was also starting to look annoyed. Niou's look was positively murderous and Bunta did not look happy.

Tachibana called over his shoulder, "Gomen, he must've hit his head or something!" He then continued dragging the struggling Sengoku over to Kamio, Yuta and An.

They were trying to separate Akaya and Miyu who had gotten themselves out of their tangle but probably Akaya or Miyu had said something to the other because the argument had escalated to a wrestle.

Niou got the first-aid kit from Yagyuu and started to clean the sand from one of Sakuno's scratches and she grimaced at the sharp pain.

Yukimura held her hand and said, "Does it hurt a lot, Sakuno?"

Sakuno felt as if she was being treated like a child and she said, "Not really, Yukimura-senpai… but I'm fine, really!"

Bunta offered her some candy, "Here, Sakuno-chan, this will make you feel better!"

Sakuno did not know whether to smile or to sigh because she really did not mind the scratches.

They hurt but it was not her first time to fall but she did not want to hurt her kind senpai-tachi's feelings so she accepted the candy.

Niou continued his ministrations with gentle hands and Sanada handed Sakuno her drink silently.

Sakuno thanked him prettily and he smiled back. Then he patted her on the head and got up.

He had finally noticed Miyu and Akaya and decided that he should put a stop to them.

Since the others were not familiar with Akaya and Miyu, they were reluctant to physically hold them back from each other but Sanada was different.

A little crowd had already gathered around the two and he sighed.

Yanagi was no help because he was again taking photos and Mizuki was egging him on.

Sanada was just glad that Inui was not there to add to the chaos.


	34. At the Beach: Part Four

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for Yukimura Miyu. _

_Author's Words: There will be a surprise at the end of this chapter._ **Two characters from another anime will appear** _and I wonder how many can guess who they are. Please enjoy!_

**Chapter Thirty-Four: At the Beach (Part Four)**

By the time, Sanada had finished his lecture to Miyu and Akaya, Yukimura, Niou, Bunta and Yagyuu had also patched Sakuno up.

Yagyuu had gotten a hair brush out and had persuaded Sakuno to let him brush out the sand in her hair.

When Sakuno released her braids, everyone stared. Sakuno rarely let her hair down so no one really noticed that she had such beautiful hair. It was long and when An and Miyu went over to marvel over it, they found no split ends at all.

Both of them asked Sakuno what kind of treatment she used on her hair. Sakuno looked surprise and said that she just use normal shampoo and hair conditioner.

The two girls heard her and sighed with wry expressions, thinking, "So it's natural…"

They still oohed and ahhed over it and wanted Yagyuu to let them comb it. Yagyuu did not let them of course, saying, "I will do it quicker than you two. You will want to take a long time over it, don't you?"

The two girls blanched and grinned sheepishly because he was right. Sakuno smiled when she heard her hair being praised. She was not particularly vain but she was not above being pleased when a part of her body was being praised.

She liked her long hair very much, partly because of her grandmother's influence. Even in old photos, her grandmother had had long hair and she adored her grandmother.

Yanagi was taking photos of this Sakuno with her hair down and knew he would make a profit from them because he knew that there would definitely be buyers from Rikkai and Seigaku.

He was feeling very pleased with himself. It had been a most profitable day with all the relaxing, data and now, photos.

Akaya was of two minds about the lovely Sakuno before his eyes.

He liked her looking so pretty but he thought that if she did not have braids, then she would not longing be his Saku-no-bunny. He did not altogether like the thought of that and he did not say anything as he argued with himself about the matter.

Bunta also thought that Sakuno looked very pretty with her hair down and he, being the honest boy he was, said, "Wow! Sakuno-chan, you look really pretty with your hair down!"

Niou and Yukimura were secretly annoyed that Bunta complimented her first because they both wanted to say the same thing. Now, if they said it, it would not sound as nice. They still wanted to say something though.

Yukimura smiled his gentle smile and said, "Bunta's right, Sakuno. You look like a fairy princess with such long hair."

Sakuno blushed at this bold and pleasing comment. Miyu and An both smothered chuckles at her look.

Miyu said, "I agree with onii-san, Sakuno, you look like a fairy princess! Ne, An?"

An nodded with a smile, "You should do it more often, Sakuno!"

Sakuno said, "I can't because if I have it loose all the time, it easily gets caught by zippers and other things. Besides, it is really hard to move around with it loose."

Niou was not so childish to be annoyed at Yukimura for such a pleasing comment. He knew that he would sound silly if he said something like that so he kept quiet for the time being.

When Yagyuu had finished brushing a lot of the sand from Sakuno's hair, Niou said, "Let me braid it for you, Sakuno. I'm really quick with my hands."

Sakuno said, "Thank you, Yagyuu-senpai. Will you help me braid it, Niou-senpai? Thank you so much because it takes quite a while."

She was about to say that she could do one side and Niou would do the other. However, Niou said, "I'll do both sides, Sakuno, or it might not be even."

Sakuno thought he made sense and agreed, thanking Niou with a shy smile. It seemed even more personal than just brushing her hair.

When Niou started parting her hair and braiding it, she thought that he had such gentle and quick fingers. He did not pull too hard at her hair and yet her braid did not feel as if it was coming loose.

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While Sakuno's hair was being braided, Miyu and An had gone off to one side and were whispering to each other.

Kamio had joined them because he wanted to be by An's side. An was asking, "Hey, is it just Sakuno or are the Rikkai regulars always this nice to girls?"

Miyu chuckled, "It's just to Sakuno or so I find. You can't believe how they treasure her. I mean, I can understand it because she is so sweet, unlike some of the other girls at our school."

Kamio was confused, "What do you mean? Are they being very nice to Ryuzaki?"

An and Miyu gave him looks of 'you are so slow'. An said, "Ne, Kamio, you watch how the Rikkai regulars treat Sakuno. They were so worried about her when she fell and fussed around her, right?"

Kamio said, "I didn't notice. I was watching Kirihara and you fight." The two girls rolled their eyes. They seemed to have extra senses when it came to the hint of romance in the air.

Miyu said, "Yes, well, I was fighting Akaya-senpai but even I noticed afterwards how they were fussing. I mean, Hiroshi-san was combing her hair in public! You get it? In public!"

An nodded her head vigorously, "Yeah, Kamio, Not even my brother would do that for me in public!"

Kamio exclaimed, "I would! I mean, eh… I would if you need it done…" He was blushing hard now but An did not notice.

She was talking excitedly with Miyu again. An said, "Ne, Miyu, did you see how gentle Yagyuu-san was with Sakuno's hair? They looked so sweet together!"

Miyu answered, "I know! I knew that Sakuno would be good for them! You know, before Sakuno came, these guys had no idea how to be around a girl like that!"

An asked, "What do you mean?" Poor Kamio had been forgotten in their excitement to gossip.

Miyu smiled mysteriously, "You know, they all had this weird thing about girls who come near them. I mean, they were all really expressionless and basically ignored girls who wanted to get to know them."

An giggled, "Why? They seem really nice to Sakuno now!" Miyu said, "Well, probably because the girls at our school usually come to practices and scream and shout and do things like that. It's really crazy sometimes."

An nodded, "Oh, that, I see. Yeah, my brother hates it. Sengoku-senpai loves it though. He always waves to them and that makes them scream louder."

Miyu said, "If one of our regulars dared to wave his hand at them, he would be in deep trouble later. Bun-chan tried it once and after practice, when he was really tired, those girls he waved at came up and surrounded him."

An looked amused, "I'll bet that they thought he was easy to get to and through him, to the others, ne?"

Miyu nodded, "Those girls attracted other girls and lots of things were shoved at Bun-chan to give to everyone. Towels, love letters, presents, you name it. It was an absolute nightmare.

Afterwards, Bun-chan asked the others for help but they all ignored him. None of them wanted to be the next victim."

An said, "Then what did he do to stop them?" Miyu said, "Well, Bun-chan begged Niou-senpai for help."

An said, "The Trickster? Wow, what did he do? It must be very scary to keep all those girls away!"

Miyu nodded, "Niou-senpai spread rumors about Bun-chan being a secret pervert who likes SM games and that he had been in juvenile prison when he was in primary school for that.

He even came up with a few made-up photos and these got spread around. The girls stayed away all right."

An looked shocked, "They actually believed all that? That is so stupid! Didn't Marui-san get into trouble with the teachers?"

Miyu said, "I think Niou-senpai asked Renji-niisan to speak with the teachers about it and they said nothing. I don't know if everyone believed the rumors but since the girls stopped bothering Bun-chan, no one cared.

Well, Bun-chan did but he couldn't say anything about it, could he? Besides, everyone soon forgot about it when other rumors came up."

An chuckled, "Wow, I feel sorry for Marui-san now."

Kamio had been listening to what they had been talking about and his face was now rather pale. He was imagining the scene of Bunta being swarmed by a crowd of screaming girls with things in their hands.

He shuddered and the two girls finally remembered him. An said, "Kamio? Are you cold?" Miyu remarked, "Geez, Kamio-san, you are so frail! Today is really hot!"

Kamio looked at these two rather heartless girls and smiled weakly, "No, I'm fine. I think I'll just go and see what Shinji is up to."

With that, he staggered off, his dreams of the opposite sex rather tainted from what he just heard. Thank goodness his An was not like that…

Miyu and An shrugged as they watched Kamio stagger off and continued their earlier topic. An said, "So, we were talking about Sakuno?" Miyu said, "Yeah, well, you know how quiet she is, right? No, actually it started when the regulars started helping her during the time when she had to hop around in clutches.

I already knew that the regulars need to have a life outside tennis because they are so sad. I mean, they are always so tense and competitive. I guess that it is alright but I thought they needed some softer influence in their lives."

An thought and nodded, "I guess I can understand what you mean. Rikkai is such a clever school that it must be really hard to keep up with things all the time.

My brother relaxed so much more when we went to Fudomine about three years ago. It was a very different school from our old school. We didn't have so much pressure, especially in the tennis club because no one expected much of us."

Miyu said, "Yes, it's very different at Rikkai because the boys' tennis club was really big and competitive. Anyway, during those weeks, they got to know Sakuno and she's so quiet and undemanding that they really appreciated it.

I appreciated it too because sometimes, some girls would try and use me to get close to my brother and the others and I hated it. Sakuno never tried to make me do stuff that I didn't want to do."

An said, "Well, I know her but we didn't spend a lot of time together, being in different schools and all but yeah, Sakuno's like that. She doesn't give you any pressure at all, does she?"

Miyu clapped her hands with delight, "You have the exact words I wanted to say! That's it! She doesn't give any pressure at all! An, you have it! That's the main reason the regulars like her so much, she's so gentle that it's probably them giving her the pressure!"

An laughed at Miyu's delight, "Maybe you're right!"

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The two girls are already on first-name terms and when the others heard their laughter, they looked in their direction.

Tachibana and Yukimura were both very happy to see their sisters so friendly with each other.

Sakuno was also pleased that her two friends got along. She wondered if Miyu would get along with Tomoka but that would have to wait until they have a chance to meet.

Niou was almost finished with her other braid. As he said, his hands were really quick and gentle.

When he was finished, she turned to him and smiled brightly, "Thank you, Niou-senpai. It didn't hurt at all! I mean, when you did the braids. Sometimes, when other people do them, they pull too hard."

Niou quirked a grin and that sudden moment, Sakuno realized that actually, Niou was really a very striking young man.

She blushed and she could feel her heart beating.

It all happened so quickly that she was not prepared for it. For what, she did not quite understand but she covered her cheeks with her hands.

It was unconscious girly shyness and Niou noticed. He did not show that he noticed because he did not want to startle her further.

Instead he patted her on the head and walked off to think about what it could mean. He was very pleased inside but no one knew.

Yagyuu sensed that his partner was happy but he did not know why, not really observing Sakuno and Niou during that time. He had sat by one side and was reading his novel again.

All the others were doing various things after they made certain everything was fine and no one else noticed Sakuno's sudden shyness.

That is no one noticed except for the two nosy girls who were talking about her so excitedly. They went over to Sakuno when Niou walked off.

Sakuno was fingering her braids with gently, as if she could Niou's hands on them.

She was confused at her sudden shyness when she thought of him.

It was just a normal smile, was it not? It was not as if she had not seen it before, then why was she suddenly so struck by it? She could not understand it at all!

She was so deep in her thoughts that when An and Miyu patted her on the shoulder, she was startled. She looked up at the smiling faces of her friends.

Was it just her imagination or did they look a wee bit too pleased with themselves?

Miyu said, "Ne, Sakuno, I think that we need to talk…" An continued, "…about some very important things, ne?"

The two girls smiled again and said together, "Let's go for a walk, Sakuno-chan"

Sakuno was given no time to protest when they just pulled her up and started walking away from the spot.

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Niou strolled in and through the crowds of people.

He liked Sakuno a lot, he knew that.

The question was, was it in that way that he liked her? Did he like her enough to want to become her special person?

He remembered her shy smile and her sweet voice when she called, "Niou-senpai!"

He liked being single and alone. It gave him a lot of freedom and space. No one told him what to do. Well, he could not imagine Sakuno telling him what to do either.

However, did he care enough for her that he would not hurt her? It would be very different from when he was just a friend and from when he became someone special to her.

She might not even know that what she felt back then was a slight attraction to him. Most probably she did not and he did not know to feel relieved or disappointed.

He knew that some of his team-mates liked her as a girl. He no longer cared which ones did because the most important thing was what he himself felt about her.

He had his moments when he felt jealous that another would be near her or touching her. He disliked it that she treated everyone the same. He hated it that she relied so much on Sanada and not on him.

He enjoyed it when she spoke with him about her days. He liked it when they spent time together, doing nothing special and just being together. He loved it when she looked up to him with trust shining in her eyes.

He suddenly realized where this was taking him. If this was not the beginning of love, then what is?

He did not want her to be anyone else's. He would not bear it if she fell in love with another person, like she did with Echizen Ryoma. She was in love with him for three whole years!

He would not bear it and there and then, he made up his mind.

He would not let her be anyone else's because only he could be by her side. He knew that he was not perfect and that he had his faults but he did not care.

He wanted her and he would not suffer to lose her, his sweet little Sakuno. He wanted her smile to be for him only and no one else's.

With his mind made up, his heart grew lighter and a smile hovered around the edges of his mouth as he continued strolling.

He knew that while he made up his mind, he could not rush things because she would need time and care. He did not want things to turn awkward between them and he did not want to alert possible competition.

He had his way and he knew how to be patience.

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He turned and looked out at the sea where there were so many people playing and swimming and enjoying themselves.

It was rare that he was not watching where he was going because suddenly someone smacked into him. It was followed by a sticky cold feeling.

He looked down and thought, "Sht!"

It was ice-cream.

The boy who had run smack into him also had not been aware of where he was going. He had been running away from his companions in a game of chase.

Niou did not mind but it was unpleasant with the ice-cream sticking to his bare chest. He looked down at the boy with the pale hair who looked to be a few years younger.

He was looking with woe at his empty ice-cream cone. Perhaps it was because of his new-found feeling but Niou was feeling very charitable with the world.

He sighed and said, "Come on, lad, let me clean this up and I'll buy you another ice-cream."

This was definitely a first time for him to be so kind to a stranger but what the heck.

The boy looked up and beamed when he heard the words 'another ice-cream'.

Suddenly there was another smack that rammed into the boy's back and the boy smacked into Niou again.

This time, it was a young girl, a bit shorter than the boy.

Her ice-cream had also smacked into the boy's back and she also looked with woe at her empty cone.

The boy exclaimed, "You are so clumsy! Now look what you've done to my back! It feels really nasty!"

The girl pouted, "You did it first and to this onii-chan as well! You're the clumsy one!"

The boy also pouted, "No, you're the clumsy one!"

The girl continued, "No, you are!"

The boy exclaimed with annoyance, "You are!"

It would have gone on if Niou had not burst out laughing at their childishness.

These two youths looked to be around fifteen or so and yet they were acting like ten-year-olds.

It was a funny sight and he said, "Come on, you two. Let's get cleaned up and I'll treat you both to another ice-cream."

He never knew that he could attract youngsters. He thought about Sanada and his entourage earlier and chuckled.

What a day it was turning out to be!


	35. At the Beach: Part Five

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis._

**Chapter Thirty-Five: At the Beach (Part Five)**

An and Miyu pulled Sakuno to one of the summer cafes that were opened at the beach. They sat down at a table and ordered some snacks and drinks.

Sakuno wanted to ask them what they were up to but when she did, they just grinned at her and at each other and then started to giggle. She waited patiently for their giggles to subside.

Finally, when Miyu stopped and she said, "Hehe, Sakuno, you like Niou-senpai, don't you?"

Sakuno immediately blushed without realizing it and An grinned, "See, she's blushing! How cute, Sakuno! You really like Niou-san!"

Sakuno tried to say something but nothing came out of her mouth. She stopped and took a deep breath. Then she tried again, "W-what did you say? Miyu-chan, An-chan? H-how can I l-l-l-like N-niou-senpai!"

She started to deny it but An beat her to it, "How can you not like him! It's obvious that he likes you, ne, Miyu?"

Miyu bit her lip, thinking maybe being so upfront with Sakuno was not the best idea, then she grinned, "No, An, maybe we had it wrong. Maybe Sakuno really does not like Niou-senpai."

An looked at her in surprise. She did not know what Miyu was up to and she said, "Huh? What are you saying, Miyu?"

Sakuno was also surprised that Miyu would give up so easily. It was not that she wanted Miyu to go on with the topic but it just did not seem like her.

Miyu sighed, "I know that Niou-senpai's really smart and good-looking and all but I can understand why Sakuno doesn't like him."

An started to think that maybe Miyu was up to something and she decided to play along, "Really? Why? I mean, if he's so good-looking and smart and all, then why would Sakuno not like him?"

Miyu smiled at An and said, "Well, you see, An. I think that not only Sakuno would not like him but it will be very hard for any girl to truly like him." An asked again, "What do you mean?"

The two girls kept a look on Sakuno's face. Sakuno was looking confused now and Miyu knew that she was paying attention.

She went on, "It's his personality, you see. Niou-senpai is a pretty twisted person inside, I think. He incapable of kindness and love and all that and Sakuno needs it, doesn't she? She deserves better than Niou-senpai. I mean, what does he have to offer Sakuno! His tricks? His tennis skills?"

An nodded, as if she was agreeing completely, "Ah… I know what you mean now. I guess you have a point there. Niou-san does seem a bit strange to me. He does look really crafty. How can you trust a person like that?"

Sakuno could stand it no longer. She burst out, "Miyu-chan, An-chan, how can you say things like that about Niou-senpai! He's one of the kindest persons that I've ever met!"

Miyu and An were honestly surprised by her sudden outburst. They blinked their eyes at her, speechless for once.

Then before Sakuno realized what she had done, Miyu continued, "But Sakuno, I thought that you don't like him! I mean, when you compare him to… Bun-chan or Akaya-senpai. Don't you think that Niou-senpai is really scary? With Bun-chan, you always know what he's thinking, but with Niou-senpai, you can never guess!"

Sakuno looked distressed, "Of course, Niou-senpai isn't scary! How can you say that, Miyu-chan! He's always very gentle and kind to me and you know it! Besides, if you don't know what he's thinking, then you can just talk to him and ask him! It's not like he knows what you are thinking!"

An raised an eyebrow, "Maybe he's only nice to you because he's scared of Sanada-san. We can all see that Sanada-san thinks of you as a sister, ne, Miyu?"

Miyu nodded, "That's right, Niou-senpai is a real opportunist. He's probably being nice to you for a reason, Sakuno. Maybe you'd better stay away from him in the future."

She crossed her fingers under the table and hoped to whoever it was up there that she would not have to do this again. She did not like talking bad about her 'brother' like this but…

Sakuno was almost in tears at what she was hearing, "That's not true! Miyu-chan, Niou-senpai's a really nice person. Maybe he doesn't talk as much as Bunta-senpai but I can always tell what he's thinking because he shows me in other ways, ne? Besides, he's not scared of Sanada-senpai because it's not like that! How can you ask me to stay a-a-away…"

Sakuno was sobbing now, she could not understand why her friends were being so nasty about such a nice and kind person. Besides, she did not want to stay away from Niou because she liked being with… him… What was that…? She did not want to stay away… from… Niou-senpai…?

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Miyu and An was really flustered now. They did not mean to go so far as to make her cry!

An pulled out some tissues while Miyu patted her Sakuno's back gently.

An gave the tissues to Sakuno, saying, "Oh, Sakuno, don't cry. We didn't mean to make you sad."

Miyu said, "Sakuno, gomen, if you don't like what we are saying. Then we will never say things like that again, ne?"

Sakuno sniffed and looked at her friends with slightly red eyes. She also had a bit of a hiccup now.

Despite the fact that she had been crying, Miyu and An thought that she looked really adorable. They just hoped that none of the regulars would happen to come by or they would be fried and fed to the dogs. Probably anyway.

Miyu looked at An and then she said gently to Sakuno, "Ne, Sakuno, we're really sorry that we made you cry. We would never say things like that again, ne!"

An nodded, "Sakuno, cheer up! If you say that Niou-san is a really nice person then he must be a nice person because you know him better than me."

Sakuno sniffed again, "Niou-senpai's really nice… I-I-I…"

Miyu patted her gently on the back, "Sshhh, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to, ne, here's our food. Let's eat a bit before we go back. It will make you feel better!"

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If only they had known that Sakuno was about to say that she did not want to stay away from Niou… but they did not and they did not want to press her again so An and Miyu tried to stuff Sakuno with food, hoping she would feel better.

However, Sakuno herself felt that something had started to change inside her heart. A new awareness began to make itself known to her this day at the beach. It might be the beginning of a new romance but she was not sure.

She was not sure if she wanted this change because she was happy now. However, she could do nothing to stop it and so, she cowardly tried to put it at the back of her mind and for the time being, she was able to forget about it.

Yes, forget this new awareness of a new romance. Even if it was only for the time being.

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While the girls were sitting at the café, enjoying their food and drinks, they were attracting quite a bit of attention from people around them.

Sakuno had stopped crying and with her sweet face and slim build was like a fairy from spring taking a vacation in summer.

An was talking animatedly about something that happened to Sengoku a while ago and her whole being was full of life. Her short hair together with her oval face gave her a pixie look and her smile was friendly and happy.

Miyu was the tallest of the three and she had the beautiful facial features of her brother. However, no one would ever mistake her to be male. She had a teasing smile and a lazy look on her face.

Now that Sakuno was no longer crying she was back to her confident self which gave her a rather cool and aloof presence, deceiving though it was.

The Rikkai regulars had come along in the first place because they were worried that strange people might hit on the girls and now it was about to happen but they were not around!

Three single guys with heavy tans and smart looks came up to the girls' table and one of them struck a pose. It was meant to be unassuming but as most guys were unaware of, girls always noticed.

Well, Miyu and An did anyway while Sakuno grew silent. She never liked being intimidated and these guys were crowding the table. Miyu and An were used to being hit on but it did not stop them from getting annoyed.

The guy who struck a pose had bleached his hair a light color. It was meant to be blond but it looked like a wig and this wig-guy said, "Hey beauties! Mind if we join you?"

He had already had his hand on the back of an empty chair, obviously never dreaming that Miyu would smile sweetly at him, saying, "Yes, we mind very much."

The other two guys guffawed, thinking that she was flirting with them and the wig-guy said, "Oh you are so funny, sweetie!"

He sat down and leaned close to Sakuno, "Hey what's your name? Mine's XXX"

Since he was someone not worth mentioning, I do not think it worth my time to come up with a name for him.

Sakuno edged away from XXX and said, "Ah…" She did not want to answer and XXX had a lot of collogue on. It smelled nasty and she did not like it at all.

An always did have a quick temper and she saw red at the way XXX was leaning over to Sakuno.

She stood up and pushed XXX away, "She doesn't like you, don't you get it? We never asked you to sit down either, go away and get a life, will you?"

An, like Miyu, also trained for tennis and she was a strong girl. Her push sent XXX right off his chair and onto the ground.

He, being the typical type of male who liked to brag and did not know the word 'no', was enraged of course. His friends went to his side and looked at the girls with anger and meanness shining from their eyes.

Miyu knew that look and thought with a sigh, "Oh, great. Typical bullies." She and An was probably capable of handling this, with so many chairs around but she knew that Sakuno would be scared.

She thought that maybe screaming would be a quicker solution because people tended to come running when they thought there was a commotion that had pretty girls in danger in it.

But before she could make up her mind, one of the guys had already pulled back a hand, intending to hit An, "You little bxxch!"

An never backed down but Sakuno covered her face and screamed. Before Miyu could intercept, An had moved and slapped the guy's hand aside. She was well and truly angry now.

The guy on the ground, XXX that was, had stood up and was cursing, his shallow face twisting with anger. Some people are just real losers!

He caught hold of Sakuno's wrist, her being nearest to him and An and Miyu both turned to him. They were not happy. No, they were not happy at all.

Little Sakuno gasped because XXX had a very tight hold on her wrist in his anger. He was probably one of those men who equaled strength with manliness. He cried angrily, "I'll show you to refuse me!" His cronies cried along with him, "Yeah, show them!"

Miyu wanted to throw a chair at them but she was afraid that it might hit Sakuno with her so close to the guys.

An was about to rush at them angrily when a pleasant voice spoke up, "Ya-re, ya-re, what is this here?"

Another voice answered him, "A bad show obviously that should be put to an end."

A third voice sounded with some agitation, "Let go of the little girl! Can't you see you're hurting her?"

The guys looked around them, trying to find out who was speaking. An thought that the voices sounded familiar and she turned to look.

Before she could get a clear look at the people speaking, one of them had leapt up into the air and with a perfect somersault had landed in front of XXX.

He kicked at XXX's shins and when XXX's hand loosened in surprise and pain, someone quickly pulled Sakuno away from them. Sakuno looked up and saw a face that she recognized.

An also recognized them and Miyu did as well, though she had not seen them in person before. She had seen their faces from magazines that had news of high school tennis teams. Their school was also a famous one from Tokyo.

When Sakuno was pulled to safety, a third person stepped out and his height made the guys step back. Next to him was another young man, a shorter one with short-cropped hair.

XXX was obviously intimidated but he still cried out, "W-what are you doing? It's none of your business!"

The one who pulled Sakuno away from him was looking at the bruise on her wrist and he said without looking up, "Not our business? You must be mistaken, the moment you started to harass these ladies, it became everyone's business."

One of XXX's cronies snarled angrily and threw a punch at the boy who had kicked XXX's shins. The boy dodged easily saying, "Wow, that was slow! You need to do better than that if you want to get close to me."

The tall one stepped forward and said, "You should leave now better we throw you off from the café." He meant it as a kindly warning but it only enraged the guys more.

XXX and his cronies could tell that they were older than these boys and it gave them a kind of illogical courage and righteousness. XXX said, "Come now, little boys. You shouldn't mess with adults like that. We only wanted to buy these ladies some drinks."

The young man with the short-cropped hair snorted rudely. He disliked being brushed off as if they had no brains.

He stepped forward so quickly that it seemed as if he just appeared right in front of XXX. Just as quickly, he had his hand around XXX's throat and he growled, "What do you mean 'little boys'? Huh?"

His eyes were fierce and finally XXX and his cronies realized that they had better not mess with these people.

When he was released, coughing, he quickly stumbled past the other boys and Miyu and An, his cronies after him. Then at a safe distance, he did what most bullies who lost to a stronger power had done.

He turned back and yelled, "Just you wait!" Then he and his cronies ran off amidst the crowd.

When they disappeared, Sakuno was so relieved her knees buckled and she slid to the ground. The young man who had been standing by her side knelt down and asked, "Are you alright?"

Sakuno smiled a trembling smile, "H-hai, I'm fine, Oshitari-san." Oshitari Yuushi smiled and said, "You know me?"

Sakuno answered, "Hai, I used to study at Seigaku." Oshitari said, "Ahhh."

Miyu and An came over and they pulled Sakuno to her feet.

An said, "Sakuno, are you alright?" Miyu turned to Oshitari and said, "Thanks for helping us with those stupid bullies. They were very unpleasant."

Oshitari said, "I did nothing. You should thank Gakuto and Shishido. They did all the work."

An turned to see Mukahi Gakuto and Shishido Ryo walking towards them together with the tall lad. She remembered that his name was Ohtori Choutarou.

Sakuno rubbed at her bruised wrist gently. She was really thankful for the timely appearance of the Hyotei regulars because she had been afraid that Miyu and An would do something stupid and get hurt.

Sakuno saw Gakuto and remembered that it was him who had made YYY or was it XXX…? Never mind, it was Gakuto who had made the unpleasant fellow release her wrist.

She bowed to him politely, thanking him, "A-ano, Mukahi-san, arigatou gozaimasu!"

Gakuto was embarrassed now. It was all very well to be boastful and full of himself but to be thanked so directly was rather… His cheeks turned a bit pink which Oshitari noticed and decided to tease him later.

Gakuto said brusquely, "I-it was nothing! I just didn't like the look of that guy!" He turned away quickly and Oshitari chuckled. Gakuto glared at his friend and partner, "Yuushi!"

Oshitari smothered his grin and said, "Anyway, you girls seem to know us. Maybe we can have the honors of knowing who you are as well?" He ended this with a gentlemanly bow, obviously making fun from the sparkle of mirth in his eyes.

An laughed and Miyu grinned at his gallant tone and gesture. Miyu said, "Ii yo! I'm Yukimura Miyu. This is Tachibana An and Ryuzaki Sakuno was the one who just bowed to Mukahi-san."

Shishido suddenly exclaimed, "Tachibana An? Ryuzaki Sakuno? Haven't I seen you two before?"

An and Sakuno looked at each other and giggled. Sakuno said, "Shishido-san, it was probably at the training camp for the American team about three years ago." An nodded, "You have a really good memory, Shishido-san!"

Shishido grinned, "What can you say. I'm brilliant, eh, Choutarou?"

Ohtori smiled, "I also remember now. Ryuzaki-chan is Ryuzaki kantoku's granddaughter, right? And Tachibana-chan is… eh… Tachibana-san's sister?"

The two girls nodded and An said, "Just call me An. Otherwise it'll sound really strange when my brother's here." Ohtori smiled brightly, "Hai, An-chan!"

Gakuto had gotten over his embarrassment and was now his old cocky self, "Hey, what are you girls doing here anyway? You don't seem to be the type to come to the beach alone. If Ryuzaki's here, then Kikumaru must be here too. Where's he?"

Sakuno started, "Eh… Mukahi-san, I don't study at Seigaku anymore. I study at Rikkai Dai now, with Miyu-chan."

Miyu grinned and gave the shorter Sakuno a hug, "Hehe, that's right! We're here with my brother and the other regulars. We met An and her lot earlier. Is it just the four of you at the beach?"

Oshitari smiled, "No, Jiroh's asleep at our spot. Atobe's somewhere surrounded by girls and Kabaji's with him." Gakuto added, "As usual."

Shishido snorted, "Atobe suddenly decided that he wanted to experience the common folk's day at the beach so he got us all to come. He even got his butler to come, complete with a full picnic. It was a real experience alright!"

Ohtori smiled complacently, "Ma, Shishido-senpai, the food was really nice, wasn't it?"

Oshitari said dryly, "Oh yes, the food was really delicious. Then all the girls started to swarm around Atobe and we had to escape from the bees now buzzing around the flower called Atobe Keigo. I just hope that they haven't trampled Jiroh to little pieces."

The girls laughed at his sarcastic tone and Ohtori chuckled good-naturedly.

Miyu said, "In that case, do you want to return with us to our spot? We have plenty of room and everyone will be so surprised to see you!" Sakuno and An also urged them to come along.

Oshitari looked at his friends, "Why not? Atobe won't miss us yet. The more the merrier!"

Indeed, the more the merrier, what a popular day for the beach it was turning out to be!


	36. At the Beach: Part Six

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except for Yukimura Miyu._

**Chapter Thirty-Six: At the Beach (Part Six)**

While the girls had been talking at the café, then harassed by XXX and his cronies and then saved by the gallant Hyotei regulars, things had been happening to the Rikkai regulars as well.

After the girls had gone off by themselves, Bunta had felt bored and because of the huge amount of food he had had earlier, he had fallen asleep on the towels.

He was one of those people who moved and talked in his sleep. As he rolled first one way and then another, he was off the towels and on the sands in no time.

Because of the shade the beach umbrellas provided, he did not wake, comfortable in the breeze. He mumbled something unintelligible and smiled a contented smile in his sleep.

He curled up for a while as if he was hugging something. He straightened again with his arms flung wide, nearly hitting Yagyuu who was still reading nearby.

He caught the attention of the three, also starting to get bored, second years: Akaya, Kamio and Ibu.

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Though not on the best of terms, Akaya and Kamio managed to get along every now and then, as boys did.

They were sitting on the sand, complaining about having nothing to do with the girls gone.

Well, Kamio was complaining that An-chan had left him all alone.

Akaya was moaning that his Saku-no-bunny was heartless, leaving him like that.

Ibu was muttering about how he knew it would turn out like that with the girls going off alone and the he would left with a complaining Kamio and how it was actually worse than he had expected because now there was also Kirihara moaning alongside with Kamio and that if he wasn't the one left to sit this out, he would say that it served them just right, etc.

However, when Bunta was moving about in his sleep, Akaya noticed him and he grinned. He called Kamio and Ibu over and they squatted in a little circle and Akaya told them of something to do.

When they heard him out, Kamio grinned and said that it sounded like fun and Ibu nodded.

Ibu thought that anything would be better than listening to these two moan and complain about girls who were not even their girlfriends. It seemed so sad.

The three of them crept up to Bunta. The others took no notice of them.

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Sanada had gone off to swim more laps to work off some of his irritation at his immature team-mates.

Yagyuu was deep into his detective novel and he was trying to solve the mystery before he got to the end. He thought that he might have figured the secret of the murder in the sealed room and did not pay attention to anything else.

Jackal had seen a little girl crying nearby and found that she was lost. He had gone off with the little girl to find her parents in the crowded beach and she was sitting on his shoulders, patting his bald head in fascination.

Yanagi and Mizuki were still going on about collecting information, listening to gossip and finding evidence.

Yukimura and Tachibana were having a spirited debate about which of the world famous tennis players were best and both enjoying it thoroughly.

Sengoku had struck up a conversation with some girls nearby who were university students. He was talking to them happily about lucky charms and horoscopes.

They were listening to him, thinking that he was rather cute and very pleasant because he was talking about things that girls would be interested in, instead of bragging about what he had done or what he had bought lately with his dad's money.

Without the intervention of their elders, the second year trio went to work on Bunta.

They started to pile sand on his body, which was actually more difficult than it sounded because he kept moving in his sleep.

However, they managed it very well and soon, Bunta was buried under a pile of sand with his head sticking up.

His face lost its contented smile and he started moaning as if he was having a bad dream. Still, he did not wake up.

Kamio and Akaya grinned at each other and Ibu went off with a bucket. He came back with water in the bucket and the three went to work on Bunta again.

They were making a sand sculptor of sorts and Yanagi and Mizuki finally noticed what they were up to. They came over to inspect their work and added comments.

Mizuki said, "No, the two sides are uneven. You should make it more even."

Yanagi said, "Add some more water or the sand will slide off and the shape will be ruined."

With their verbal help, the second trio finished their proud sand sculptor and they stood up, wiping sweat off their brows with satisfied looks.

Anyone looking at them would have thought that they had been engaged in some great and gallant task that would benefit the world, from the expressions on their faces.

The trio, together with Yanagi and Mizuki looked down at the 'Bunta sculptor'.

It was a sculptor of a naked woman's body with Bunta's head sticking out of it.

It was a solid piece of work complete with big breasts, long legs and even a belly buttonhole.

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At that moment, Bunta woke up from his nightmare into another nightmare.

He looked up and saw Yanagi's expressionless but somewhat rather wicked face.

He saw Mizuki's annoying smirk with his finger twirling a curl in his hair.

He saw Ibu with a hint of a rare smile on his face which should have been pleasant except it looked sinister in Bunta's eyes.

He saw Kamio with a pleased and happy grin.

He saw Akaya holding his stomach in an attempt to keep from laughing.

They were standing in a circle looking down at him. No, they were not looking at him. They were looking at somewhere below his head.

He tried to get up but found, much to his outrage, that he was trapped! He raised his head as far as he could and found that he was buried beneath sand. It seemed to be a funny shape though and he could not figure what it was.

Yanagi very kindly took a picture of him and showed it to Bunta. Then he stepped back very quickly, in case Bunta snapped his fingers off.

Bunta saw the picture, took a few moments to register what it was and screamed in mortification.

When he screamed, Akaya and Kamio lost it. They started laughing uncontrollably on the sand.

Yukimura and Tachibana heard their crazy laughter and came over to see what the matter was. They saw Bunta and both stopped in their tracks.

Tachibana quickly clapped his hand over his mouth to try and smother his laughter. It would be too rude.

Yukimura had no compunction and started chuckling.

Bunta was yelling, "Get me out of here! Was it you, Akaya? I'm going to kill you! Get me out!"

He kept up a string of threats and curses and 'get me outs'. It only made the others laugh even more.

By now, Kamio and Akaya both had tears in their eyes and they were clutching their stomachs.

Ibu had disappeared and when he appeared, he had a lot of shells with him. He started to decorate the sand sculptor which infuriated Bunta even more.

His actions caused Kamio and Akaya to lose it all over again and they were laughing so hard that they had to take in deep breaths very now and then to keep laughing.

Yanagi just took pictures of Ibu's actions and Mizuki gave suggestions which Ibu listened to now and then.

Bunta had stopped to take a breather from all the yelling and he started again when he had gotten his breath back.

Yukimura's chuckle had escalated into a laugh. It was not as crazy a laugh as Kamio's and Akaya's but it was still very annoying in Bunta's ears.

Tachibana had also started laughing and in between his laughter, he had tried to say to Yukimura that maybe they should save Bunta. Yukimura was laughing so hard by now that he could only shake his head at Tachibana.

Just then Jackal turned up. He had found the little girl's parents for her and the little girl had given a lollipop to him.

He saw that everyone was laughing like crazy and he quickened his steps to see what he had missed.

He saw Bunta in his 'female splendor' now complete with shells that Ibu had put on.

He stopped in his tracks, took some steps forward slowly, doubting his eyes at this ludicrous sight. Then it registered and he joined the racks of the maniacal laughing people.

Bunta noticed his doubles' partner and yelled, "Jackal, where've you been? Stop them! Stop laughing and get me out! Get me out I say! Hey, Jackal!"

Jackal could not even answer him, he was laughing too hard.

All around them, people were staring at this lot of good-looking young men. All of them were acting as if they just escaped from the lunatic asylum.

They were all around Bunta so other people did not notice him but still their laughter attracted a lot of attention.

Sengoku and his new-found friends had also noticed their lunacy and he pretended that he did not know this childish lot.

He wanted to go and see what they were laughing at but he liked spending time with these lovely ladies more, so sorry friends!

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In the meantime, Sanada had stepped out of the sea, feeling calmer than he had been.

He did not want to return to the noisy bunch yet. Dealing with them on an almost daily basis had been exhausting enough, he did not want to deal with them at the beach also.

He strolled along the beach, looking to see if he could find Sakuno. Suddenly he halted. He had just seen someone extremely unexpected and he wondered if he should ignore him.

However, the other person was in a very good mood and had decided to bestow his greetings to this other rival of his.

Atobe Keigo, surrounded by girls and Kabaji and his butler, raised his glass and called out to Sanada Genichirou, "Sanada! How nice to see you! Come join us!"

Sanada had no choice but to walk over. He never was a rude person but he really did not need this right now.

As he made his way to Atobe, the girls made way for him because he was a 'guest' of Atobe-sama's.

He stopped in front of Atobe and saw that next to Atobe was Akutagawa Jiroh, sleeping on the sand.

Atobe had ordered Kabaji to move Jiroh over to where he was sitting. Atobe had said, "Otherwise, he might be trampled to death in his sleep by my numerous admirers."

Sanada said, "Atobe, I never thought to see you here."

Atobe answered with a flick of his head, "Of course! How can anyone guess what I am about to do, en, Kabaji?" Kabaji answered him in his usual monosyllable way.

Sanada looked around him, "I see that you have not changed one bit, Atobe." Atobe smiled, "What? Are you jealous that I have more admirers than you, Sanada?"

If Sanada had been someone else, he would have rolled his eyes. He was not though and he refrained from making any reply.

Atobe took a sip of his drink and he asked, "Say, Sanada, I cannot believe that you are alone at the beach. Where are your companions? You can all join me, if you wish, en?"

Sanada answered immediately, "Thank you for your offer but there would be no need. I am here with my team-mates and some other friends. I should be going now. Goodbye, Atobe."

He turned to go but was stopped by Atobe.

Atobe said, "I have decided to come with you and say hi to everyone. After all, it is not everyday that I come to a public beach, en, Kabaji?" Kabaji, of course, agreed with him.

Atobe ordered, "Bring Jiroh along, Kabaji. We wouldn't want him to be left alone, would we, en?"

To the girls, he blew a kiss and said, "My kittens, I'll be back soon!" The girls sighed and oohed and ahhed but much to Sanada's relief, they did not follow them.

He wondered if this day was a nationally proclaimed 'Beach Day'. How come he kept coming across people he knew?

He did not sigh but he did quicken his steps, wanting to get this over and done with.

He had no idea that there would be more chaos waiting for him back where everyone was and soon, they would be joined by yet more people.

If he had known, he would have not walked as quick as he was doing now.

Instead, he would probably be dragging his steps… or maybe not because he was the Emperor after all.

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Sakuno, An and Miyu led Oshitari, Gakuto, Ohtori and Shishido back to where everyone was.

When they had left, everyone was still pretty normal, chatting and being laid-back.

Now, they wondered who these people were with their familiar faces and extremely maniacal laughter.

Miyu and An hurried to see what the matter with Sakuno after them. When they saw Bunta, Miyu and An immediately fell under Bunta's spell and started laughing.

Miyu gasped out, "Oh my goodness! Bun-chan? Bun-chan? Hahaha!" An heard her and could not stop laughing.

Sakuno was dumbfounded. She could not help giggling but she also thought maybe she should help Bunta but oh, it was so funny!

Oshitari, Gakuto, Ohtori and Shishido also arrived after the girls. Gakuto and Shishido took one look at Bunta, who was still yelling and screaming and screeching to no avail by the way, and started pointing and laughing at him.

Especially Shishido who had played with Ohtori against Bunta and Jackal before and had lost. He had not felt so good in a long time and he was really enjoying this.

Oshitari grinned nastily and said, "Ya-re, ya-re, what do we have here?" He chuckled, not laughed, but his one chuckle was so full of meaning that Bunta was set off once again!

He had had a large lunch and now had a lot of energy to burn. Unfortunately, until someone came and set him free, he was stuck to yelling threats and curses.

Ohtori was more polite than his elders but even he could not help smiling at the sight.

He had to turn away and smother his chuckles beneath his hand and as he looked away from poor Bunta, he saw his buchou walking towards them with the Emperor who looked… scary.

Sanada had seen his loony team-mates and their companions from a distance off and was now, not in a good mood al all.

He arrived and Atobe was close after him, with Kabaji and Jiroh over his shoulder.

Atobe saw Bunta and widened his eyes. He gave a bark of laughter, "Marui? Ha! I never knew that you have such interests!" His sarcastic words almost made Bunta burst a vein.

Sanada was silent as he stood there, trying to hold in his temper. What had they been up to in his absence?

Sakuno went next to him, "A-ano, Sanada-senpai…" She had not seen such an angry Sanada before and she did not know if she should speak to him but she half felt sorry for Bunta.

Sanada reined in his expression when he heard Sakuno's voice. He turned and looked at her. H

er gentle presence always calmed him and he said, in a gentler voice than he himself expected, "Sakuno?" Sakuno smiled timidly, "Ano ne, Sanada-senpai…"

She did not get to finish her sentence because Sanada had noticed the bruise on her wrist and his face darkened.

He interrupted her, "What happened to your wrist, Sakuno?" Sakuno blushed, "Huh? I-it was nothing…"

Sanada ignored everything else and took hold of Sakuno hand and inspected her wrist. It was a pretty nasty bruise and he said firmly but still gently, "Come, let me put something on it."

He took Sakuno off to one side, away from all the lunacy, as he thought of it, and along with Sakuno, took away Bunta's chance to be freed immediately.

Everyone's attention was on Bunta and no one noticed them. Sanada applied something on Sakuno's bruise that was cool and nice-smelling.

As he was doing it, he made Sakuno tell him what had happened and she did, leaving out the conversation beforehand. Sanada's eyes darkened when he heard of XXX hitting on Sakuno.

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Just then, Niou came back with two people tagging after him.

Niou had taken the boy off to the showers to wash off the ice-cream on their bodies.

He had learnt that the boy's name was Auel Neider and that he was visiting with his companions. He said that the girl was called Mayu Asuka and learned that she was a nuisance sometimes and that she liked Sting and she was Shinn's sister.

He babbled on and Niou had listened with some amusement. He was not really interested but felt that it did not really matter.

When they came out, Mayu was waiting for them. She had asked immediately, "Can we go and get Mayu's ice-cream now?" Auel had followed suit and they had looked up to Niou with twinkling eyes that said in volumes, "You promised"

He quirked a smile and led them to get ice-cream and then he was prepared to part with them and go back to where everyone was.

He had said, "Well, enjoy your ice-cream! Ja!" He turned to go and after a few steps, turned back and asked, "Why are you following me?"

Auel and Mayu, both licking their ice-creams, looked at each other and had said, "Don't know."

Niou said with a rare patience, "You should go back to your friends now."

Auel said, "Neo and Kaasan are off swimming. Stellar is off somewhere playing in the sea and Shinn's with her. Sting told us to get lost because he wanted a break. We're bored."

Mayu nodded, "En, Mayu's bored. Mayu's stuck with Auel because Sting wanted to rest and onii-chan is off being lovey-dovey with Stellar-neechan."

Auel looked at her, annoyed, "What do you mean, you're stuck with me? I'm the one stuck with you!"

Mayu stuck her tongue out at Auel rudely, "No, Mayu's stuck with stupid Auel!"

Auel was about to argue back when Niou put a stop to their bickering again.

No wonder this Sting person wanted a break if he had listen to them all the time. He was starting to have a bit of sympathy for Jackal who had to deal with Bunta and Akaya in similar situations.

He said, "Whatever, if you're bored, then find something to do! I have to go back to my friends."

The two looked at him and Mayu said, "We found something to do, ne, Auel?" Auel agreed, "Yeah, we want to come with you!"

Niou felt it was probably quicker to let them tag along. They would leave when they wanted to.

Besides, there were more people back there and he could always leave them with someone, probably Jackal.

He said, "Well, since you're coming along, I'm Niou Masaharu."

Auel answered him, "Okay, got it, Niou!"

Mayu said, "Auel, you should call him Masaharu-niichan, no, that's too long. Can Mayu call you Haru-niichan? Lacus-neechan has a toy called Haro. It sounds similar!"

Niou blanched at the thought of being called 'Haru-niichan'.

He said firmly, "Just call me Niou. You can't come along if you call me Haru-niichan."

Mayu pouted, "Oh alright, Niou-niichan."

Therefore, together with these two tagalongs, Niou made his way back to the chaos that he did not know was waiting for him.


	37. At the Beach: Part Seven

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters apart from Yukimura Miyu._

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: At the Beach (Part Seven)**

While Niou was walking back with the tagalongs after him, he saw Fuji Yuta come up from the sea.

Yuta had gone off, when no one noticed, to swim. He had not felt really that comfortable with the group of people back there.

He had always known that Mizuki was a bit over the top sometimes but he did not expect it to get worse when he was together with someone who was also like that. Yanagi and Mizuki together just gave him the shudders.

He did not have anything to say to the other third years as well. Yukimura reminded him a little bit of his own brother and he knew very well that with this type of people, the best course, for him at least, would be to stay away.

He saw Tachibana, Ibu and Kamio often now that they were in the same school.

Tachibana was talking to the Rikkai people and he did not want to listen to Ibu's mutterings or Kamio's excited 'An-chan's so cute'.

He also thought that Kirihara to be a pretty dangerous guy to be around. He seemed to be too unpredictable and Yuta preferred steady people which none of them seemed to be. Well, Yagyuu seemed to be steady and Jackal was as well.

However, Yagyuu was really into his novel from what he could see and Jackal had his hands full with his own team-mates.

He did not want to hang out with the girls because it seemed sissy, though if Sengoku had heard that, he would be subjected to a lecture on the benefits of female company to be sure.

Niou was also another dangerous person to be around. Perhaps it was from having Fuji Syusuke for a brother but his instincts were usually pretty good when it came to telling him who's safe to be around and who's not. As in whether he would be made fun with or not by that person.

He hated being made fun of but being made fun with was even worse and that was from experience talking.

He did not even think of talking to Sanada. Sanada just plain intimidated him and so he had taken off when no one noticed to swim in the sea. Perhaps it was just as well that he had because it had been rather noisy and rowdy back where everyone was.

He was feeling happily tired from his exercise when he looked up and saw Niou with two strangers tagging after him.Being a polite young man, Yuta went up to greet Niou.

He called out, "Niou-san!" Niou called back, "Yo!"

He stopped and waited for Yuta to catch up with them. Yuta reached them and looked behind Niou, "They are…?"

Niou said, "Oh, them… they've decided to follow me because they have nothing better to do."

Yuta looked taken aback by this strange answer. He said, "Ah, I see." He thought that he had better introduce himself, being a polite person, "Ah, my name's Fuji Yuta, yoroshiku."

Auel ignored him but Mayu stopped eating her ice-cream to smile brightly at Yuta, "Hai! Mayu Asuka desu! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu, Yuta-niichan!"

Yuta was again taken aback by her friendly attitude. She sure did not waste anytime with pleasantries.

Mayu was very happy when Yuta did not stop her from calling him 'Yuta-niichan'. She decided that he was a nice fellow and she would tell Sting all about it when she got back.

Auel, on the other hand, thought that this fellow was rather straight-laced and was probably one of those who go by the rules. He did not bother to say anything but much to his annoyance, Mayu spoke up, "Ano ne, Yuta-niichan, this is Auel and he's rude and shy. Just ignore him."

Yuta did not know how to respond to that but really he did not have to because Auel was answering Mayu's challenge already. He exclaimed, "Mayu, if you go on talking like that, I'll tell Sting that you have telling tales about me!"

Mayu stuck her tongue at him, "Silly Auel, Mayu was just telling the truth! Yuta-niichan said hi but you ignored him! Isn't that rude? Murrue-san said that you should greet people when they greet you!"

Auel had nothing to say to that and so he consoled himself by sticking his tongue back.

Niou rolled his eyes and said, "Stop it, you two, or I'm going to send you back to your Sting or Neo or whoever it was you mentioned."

The two of them seemed to listen to Niou for they really did stop bickering and went on eating their ice-cream.

Niou had started walking again and Yuta followed by him with the two tagalongs after them. He wanted to ask where Niou had found them but not wanting to be nosy, he refrained.

They soon arrived to where everyone was still chuckling and making fun of poor Bunta.

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Niou and Yuta were somewhat surprised to see a much larger crowd than there was when they had left.

The two of them made their way to the centre of everyone's attention. When they saw Bunta, they stopped in surprise.

Yuta immediately clapped his hands over his mouth and Niou smirked, "Bunta? What have they done to you?"

By this time, Bunta almost had tears in his eyes and he looked beseechingly at Niou.

Niou raised an eyebrow and he went to kneel next to Bunta's head. The two tagalongs had followed him and when they saw Bunta, they did not laugh because they did not know the boy.

Mayu did exclaim to Auel, "Ne, Auel, that looks like fun! Maybe we should try it later!" Auel said, "If you're the one to lie down, then I'll do it." Mayu thought about it, "Okay!"

Niou heard them and tuned them out. At least they were not arguing and he turned his attention back to Bunta.

Niou said, "I can let you out but you are going to owe me for this, Bunta."

Bunta answered, half-annoyed and half-thankful, "Whatever, just get me out and let me kill Akaya. He was the one who had done it, I'm sure."

Niou said, "I would guess that he had help. He couldn't be that quick and clever. For one, he wouldn't have thought of the shells."

Bunta remembered, "Oh yeah, Ibu put them there. That little "

Niou nodded, "Probably Kamio as well, if Ibu had a hand in this."

Around them, the others had finally stopped their madness.

Yukimura was greeting the Hyotei regulars with Miyu with him. After laughing at Bunta, she had started to tell Yukimura what had happened.

Tachibana also heard and he had gone over to thank the Hyotei people for watching out for his sister.

Atobe accepted their thanks as if he had done the deed which made Oshitari very amused. Gakuto, Ohtori and Shishido were used to Atobe's ways and they did not mind.

Ohtori was trying to wake Jiroh up in fact because he had asleep since they had arrived at the beach in Atobe's private coach.

Shishido was telling him not to bother.

Sakuno and Sanada had come over and when Sakuno saw Niou digging Bunta out, she blushed and went over to help immediately.

She had been side-tracked by Sanada and was now feeling rather guilty for forgetting about Bunta.

Sanada looked around because he had a good idea who had done it. He found Akaya, Ibu and Kamio trying to creep away because they saw Niou starting to dig Bunta out.

When he did, he caught them and dragged them over to Tachibana and Yukimura. He said, "I'm going to take these for some laps out in the sea. It's obvious they had too much energy to spare."

He had Kamio and Akaya by their ears and Ibu was following quietly. He did not want to be subject to ear-pulling at his age.

Yukimura looked at Akaya with a bit of sympathy in his eyes and then he smiled, "Akaya, I hope you enjoy your extra training. It's either that or being handed over to Bunta yo!"

Akaya did not want either because he was sure that Bunta would think of the nastiest punishment for him. He preferred Sanada because he was more predictable. If Bunta enlisted Niou's help to think of a punishment, he might end up doing something like doing laps at school in his boxers.

Sanada turned to Tachibana, "If you don't mind, Akaya would like some company this time. It appears they have become good friends this day."

Tachibana looked at his two team-mates and said, "I'm afraid it's only fair. If you are still here when Marui gets out, I don't know what he would do."

With their blessings, Sanada led them down to the sea. He did not really mean to punish them because they did not really do anything wrong.

However he knew that if he did not take them away before Bunta had some time to cool off his temper, they would cause another chaotic scene and he wanted to avoid it.

They were from a prestigious school after all and to cause trouble at the beach would be a great embarrassment to Rikkai and the team.

Imagine them being banned from tournaments because Bunta lost it and started to attack the second-years who probably deserved it. It would be over his dead body before he would let something like that happen.

He left Bunta for Niou to deal with. From the look on Niou's face, he did not seem to think that it was particularly funny so he might just convince Bunta that it was not as bad as that.

Off to one side, Yagyuu had been oblivious to all that had happened. He had solved the murder of the sealed room and was hurriedly reading on to find if his theory was correct.

Mizuki and Yanagi were looking at the photos Yanagi had taken and they were discussing various ways of using them.

Sengoku had resumed talking to the girls he had met. They were now telling him about tarot cards and other fortune telling stuff. Sengoku was having the time of his life.

An had noticed Sakuno and Niou digging Bunta out. She saw Sakuno looking a bit uncomfortable and decided to help her out.

She said, "Onii-chan, I'll go and help Sakuno to dig Marui-san out!"

Tachibana nodded. He was still talking to Atobe and Yukimura about tennis stuff.

Gakuto had gotten bored and went over to make fun of Bunta again.

Ohtori had given up on Jiroh and was now helping with the digging. He was also trying to stop Gakuto from making nasty and snide comments.

Oshitari thought that he had nothing better to do, so he went over to help and pulled Shishido along with him.

Yuta had also come over to help. While he thought that it was somewhat amusing, he did not go crazy with laughter at the sight. It was probably due to his brother that he became a rather serious person.

Meanwhile, Niou was saying, "You were lucky they didn't do worse, Bunta."

Bunta glared at him, "Isn't this bad enough?" Niou said, "This is baby stuff."

Jackal asked, while he was gathering up the shells that were on Bunta's 'body', "Baby stuff? You are starting to scare me, Niou."

Niou grinned, "He! Honestly, this is nothing. Listen, if it had been me, I would not have done this."

Oshitari was curious now, he had heard of the Trickster's reputation, "Oh? What would you have done, Niou, the Trickster?"

Auel looked up from his ice-cream when he heard the nickname, "The Trickster? Why does he call you that, Niou?"

Mayu chimed in, "Yeah, Mayu wants to know too!"

Before Niou could answer, Sakuno had looked up at Auel's voice which she thought to be familiar and when she saw him, she exclaimed, "Auel-kun! What are you doing here?"

Auel looked at Sakuno and was equally surprised, "Sakuno? How come you're here?"

All of them stopped the digging and looked at the two.

Bunta was starting to wriggle around as the weight of the sand on him lessened. Apparently, the trio had piled on more sand than he had thought.

Sakuno answered him, "Ah, I'm here with my friends. Are you here with your kaasan?"

Auel beamed at the mention of his kaasan, "Yep! But she went swimming with stupid Neo and I'm stuck with Mayu here. Remember? Shinn's sister!"

Sakuno did not remember but she looked at Mayu and said with a gentle smile, "Ah, konnichiwa, Mayu-chan!"

Mayu also beamed at this sweet-looking one-chan. She was a friendly girl by nature though rather childish from being spoiled by her parents and brother, Shinn.

She said brightly, "Konnichiwa! What's your name? How come you know Auel?"

Sakuno blinked as she realized that she had not introduced herself but before she could speak, Auel had already beat her to it, "Mayu no baka, didn't I call her Sakuno? Her name's Sakuno, Sa-ku-no!"

Mayu pouted and Niou, sensing another of those repetitive arguments coming on, interrupted quickly, "Ah, so you know Sakuno, Auel, well, that's nice. You'll have to tell me about sometime. First, we should get Bunta out, ne?"

He seriously did not want another childish argument on his hands.

Auel blinked, "Oh, okay. Wah!" He had just noticed that his ice-cream was dripping and he hurriedly resumed eating it.

Niou thought that it had been wise of him to get both of them the extra-large ice-cream. At least, it was keeping them relatively quiet.

Oshitari, who was very interested in what they had been talking about, asked Niou again, "Niou, you were saying that worse could have happened to Marui here?"

Niou looked up and answered, "Yeah, there are actually lots of things that could happen to a person who had fallen asleep at the beach with no one watching over him or her. I wouldn't have to cover him with sand. I could've just cut his swimming trunks loose."

The others stopped their work for a second and looked at him to see if he was being serious. He was and Bunta gulped.

He did not really want to listen to this but Niou went on, "I could've also used the beach umbrella to shade just his head and leave his body out in the sun. That way, he would have a tan for the body and his head would still be white. It might take longer to work but they are easy to do and don't take much time. Oh, also, you know most people come in normal shoes and change their footwear in the changing rooms, right?"

Shishido said cautiously, "Yeah, what of it?"

Niou said, "Well, if I could get hold of the shoes, I would use honey or something equally sticky and pour it inside the shoe. Then I would get some ants and sand and dump the whole lot into the shoe as well.

When the person put the shoes back on, he would feel the sand first. He would dump the sand out and then he would notice the sticky and prickly feeling and maybe the ants would still be in there. Sometimes they get out, you see.

Still, it is quite nasty to find that mixture of sand and something sticky in your shoes after a long day at the beach."

Bunta gulped again. He was starting to feel that maybe his situation wasn't so bad after all.

Niou went on, "There's another that I could do and I did it before lunch. I collected shells and went around ruining people's tans."

Oshitari was intrigued, "What exactly did you do?"

Niou answered him, "If I found a person asleep and there were more people sleeping and sunbathing at the same time than I thought, I would put shells on his body and if he was lucky, he would wake up before his tan was ruined. If he was not, then his tan would be filled with white shell shaped holes."

Sakuno and An looked at Niou with fascination. While Sakuno felt sorry for those people with their tans ruined, this was the first time she had actually heard Niou talk about doing tricks on people.

She had heard stories before but it was different when you heard it from the actual person who did those tricks. She thought he was very clever to have thought of all those tricks.

She had forgotten about her earlier embarrassment in the talk about tricks now and was once more comfortable to be in Niou's presence.

An thought that she and Miyu had been lucky that he had not been at the café when they were talking about him behind his back. This was one person she did not want to antagonize.

Oshitari was storing all he had heard from Niou and was thinking that if only he had been at Hyotei…

Then he backtracked and thought maybe it was better that he was not at Hyotei because if he played tricks on Atobe, it would be war. Atobe did not allow people to laugh at him.

Ohtori was caught between admiration and the thought that it was not very nice to play tricks on people like that.

He was such a sunny type of person that he did not have any room in him for nasty tricks that seemed to be rather backhanded. Still he had to admit Niou was a very bright person.

Shishido was thinking pretty much the same thing as Oshitari was, that it was lucky for them that Niou was not in Hyotei because of Atobe. From what he could see, Niou did not seem to have any compunction about playing tricks on his superiors.

Gakuto was whispering to Jackal who was beside him, "Say, Kuwahara, is he always like this at school?"

Jackal nodded, "Sometimes, he's even worse. Those tricks he mentioned? They are some of the better ones. He's done worse in the years I've known him."

Gakuto shuddered when he tried to imagine what would be worse. He thought that having a ruined tan in the middle of summer was bad because it was either being laughed at wherever you go or take to wearing clothes that covered most of the body.

Yuta thought that his instincts had been right. Niou was a dangerous person to be around all the time and he was glad that he did not have to worry about him.

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Soon, they had Bunta out of the sand and he stretched and stretched, feeling much more comfortable with the breeze on his body.

It had been rather stuffy in the sand and he had been heated with anger as well.

He was now very glad that it had not been Niou who had been around when he was asleep and was actually feeling rather charitable towards the second year trio now.

Besides, they were under Sanada's thumb now and he would not want to be there when they were supposed to have fun.

Off to one side, Auel was chatting to Sakuno and Mayu was hovering around them, curious that Auel had a friend among this lot of nice people.

Auel and Mayu had heard Niou's tricks and were much impressed with what they had heard. They both wondered if they would have a chance to play any of those tricks later. It would be fun to play tricks on people.

An was talking to Oshitari about some movie that had been out during the summer.

She was surprised to find that Oshitari actually enjoyed watching movies with romance in it. She had thought that boys would shy away from those, or at least, the ones she knew did.

After some thought, she thought that she should not be so surprised. After all, her own brother enjoyed cooking, though his interest had nothing whatsoever to do with skill.

Even she stayed away when he cooked. The food he cooked was not nasty but they always tasted somewhat… strange, as if there was something not quite right.

Gakuto was doing handstands on the sand. It was actually harder than he had thought because sand shifted and it was soft and uneven. He enjoyed moving around like that though.

Ohtori was marveling to Shishido about what Niou had said earlier. He had decided that such brilliance should be admired and he was now sharing his views with Shishido.

Shishido did not mind listening to Ohtori but he did think whether Choutarou was being serious or not.

Yagyuu had finally finished his novel and was much touched by the ending. Much of it had to do with the fact that he had been right about how the victim had been killed in the sealed room.

He was now looking around in surprise, having not noticed the arrival of most of the other people. He pulled Niou down to sit next to him and asked him how come there were so many people around.

Niou had rolled his eyes but had proceeded to tell his friend what he had missed.

Tachibana had left Yukimura and Atobe arguing politely about some policy on being head of a large tennis club and was now chatting to Miyu.

Miyu had learnt that Tachibana enjoyed cooking and she had been telling him about some of the food Sakuno had been making for her and Yukimura.

Tachibana had been interested and Miyu said that he should talk to Sakuno later so they could exchange opinions and recipes.

She did not know that Tachibana's cooking was rather strange though edible and was saying that if there was another chance for them to get together like this, she would be delighted to try his cooking.

Tachibana was so happy to hear that he almost had tears of gratitude in his eyes. As I said, he almost had tears but he did not in the end because it would be too undignified.

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Jiroh had finally woken up and when he opened his eyes, he had thought sleepily that his bedroom did not look this or was he still dreaming?

Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw his idol since junior school, Marui Bunta. He leapt off the sand and rushed over to marvel at seeing his idol up closely.

Bunta was much startled by Jiroh's sudden appearance.

Jiroh exclaimed, "Marui-san! Marui-san desho? Oh, my goodness, how come you're here, Marui-san? How come you have decided to come into my dream?"

Bunta was lost now. In his dream? What was he talking about?

Oshitari heard Jiroh and went over. He used both hands to pinch Jiroh's cheeks and pulled until Jiroh cried pain.

Oshitari said, "You're not dreaming, Jiroh. Got it now?" Jiroh nodded with tears in his eyes and hands rubbing his cheeks.

Bunta attempted to get away to see Sakuno but Jiroh recovered and was now hopping around Bunta with excited cries.

He was saying things like, "When can I play a match against you, Marui-san?" and "Don't always play doubles, Marui-san! I never get to play against you!"

Bunta was getting dizzy from Jiroh's jumping around but he could do nothing about it.

Jackal was chuckling at the sight because usually it was Bunta being the excited one and now he was getting a taste of his own medicine, so to speak.

It was during Jiroh's hopping around that Sanada came back with the three, very tired second-years in tow.

When Atobe saw them come back, he had one of his brilliant ideas.

He thought that it was a rare day that he had come to grace a public beach with his presence and it should be marked with something that represents that beach!

He had decided to…


	38. At the Beach: Part Eight

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for Yukimura Miyu._

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: At the Beach (Part Eight)**

Atobe gathered everyone around him, including Auel and Mayu.

They had found this group of people to be very amusing and were reluctant to leave. Niou would not have cared either way because they were not longer tagging him.

They had taken to tagging Sakuno, not that she minded because she rather liked children.

Although Auel did not say how old he was, he looked to be around her age and Mayu, when asked, had said that she was fourteen years old. They were very lively and made Sakuno laugh a lot.

Atobe's sharp eyes swept across the group and noticed Sengoku missing. He knew that he was here from talking to Tachibana and Yukimura and he ordered, "Kabaji, get Sengoku over here!"

Kabaji willingly obliged and carried a squalling Sengoku away from his new friends and into the midst of the group gathered around Atobe. He dropped Sengoku down onto the sand.

Sengoku exclaimed, "Mou, Atobe! Next time, you could have just called me! This hurts, not to mention is very embarrassing!" They all smothered smiles at Sengoku's indignant tone.

Atobe waved his hand dismissively, "Yeah, well, whatever. Anyway, I have decided that since this is a rare day that I come to the public beach, I will hold special tournament that will be open to everyone at the beach."

Sanada, who was standing next to Akaya to make sure he did not get into trouble again, thought, "Atobe never changes…"

Yukimura smiled, "This sounds like fun."

Oshitari thought, "Oh, well, I should have expected something like this to happen."

Miyu was extremely amused because this was the first time she had met Atobe in person. She enjoyed activities and wondered what it was going to be.

With their various thoughts, they all awaited Atobe's next words, which he was holding back just for the sake of making them wait. He smiled, held his hand up into the air and snapped his fingers dramatically.

The Hyotei regulars were used to his ways and most of the other tennis players here had also had contact with him through matches regularly enough not to be too surprised.

No matter how many times she saw it, Sakuno was still amazed at Atobe's ability to command a crowd. Of course he had a lot of practice but the over-abundant amount of confidence he had never failed to impress her.

Beside her, Mayu was gaping at this strange onii-chan with his dramatics ways.

It should seem unnatural but when he did it, it seemed to be so much a part of him that it was actually natural. She thought that she would try it when she was home to see if she could do it. It seemed very grand.

Atobe announced, "This will be called Atobe's Special Beach Volley Tournament. Teams of two will compete against each other and the winner will receive a special prize presented by me, of course!"

Everyone looked at him in silence.

He ignored their lack of response and continued, "Everyone of you are automatically in the tournament, en? I will prepare everything, so you will just have to pair up. I will also enter with Kabaji, en?" Kabaji nodded and he turned away, satisfied.

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As he walked off, he whipped out a mobile from somewhere and started making calls and orders. When he finished talking on the phone, he smiled with satisfaction.

He had called his butler to inform the authorities concerned that he, Atobe Keigo, would be holding a tournament at the beach as of that afternoon.

If the authorities received any inquiries and complaints, they would know to say that it was authorized and if there were complaints, there was nothing they could do.

He had then called a team of people out to clear space and set up six beach volley courts. Of course he had made sure there was a prize prepared.

His people had also brought all the equipment needed and the posters that they put up immediately. They had very quickly set up a table for people to sign-up and had set an area for people who wanted to watch.

He had nothing to worry about because he only employed the best.

Very soon, everything was ready and an announcement was made over the loudspeakers about the tournament.

It emphasized the special prize together with monetary prizes, which was the true incentive for most people to enter.

It also mentioned that they had one hour to sign up and after the one hour, the tournament would start soon. They were required to be teams of two and it could be of any sex and age.

Because of Atobe's Special Beach Volley Tournament, the beach was all in a hustle and everyone got very excited.

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While Atobe was preparing all that, the tennis people were talking among themselves about the tournament.

Some were very excited about it because they enjoyed a good competition. Others were somewhat annoyed that they were forced to enter.

The Hyotei regulars had given up early on and were trying to convince the others that it would be quicker to just enter and lose if they did not want to do it. Atobe could be very long-winded sometimes, especially if he did not get his own way.

Oshitari and Gakuto had already decided to enter as a pair as well as Ohtori and Shishido.

Jiroh wanted to enter with Bunta but Bunta had refused on the grounds he was best with Jackal. Jackal had thought that it might be fun and had no objection to it.

Sengoku had wanted to enter with either Miyu, An or Sakuno. However, when he tried approaching them, various people had came up and pulled him away with smiles on their faces and glints in their eyes.

Yukimura might like Sengoku as a people but it did not mean he wanted him near Miyu or Sakuno. Sanada and Niou thought the same.

As for An, it was not Tachibana who pulled Sengoku away but Kamio who wanted to enter with An himself. Without these guys knowing, Miyu and An had already decided to enter as a team.

Sakuno did not particularly want to join and thought that she could cheer for them all.

Auel had thought about it and had decided if all these interesting people were going to join, then he would too. Therefore he ran off to find Sting, Mayu after him. They had told Sakuno they would come back later and she had waved them off cheerfully.

Yagyuu had finished his novel and thought that he could do with some exercise. Thus, he and Niou were another team prepared to enter the tournament.

Kamio was very disappointed when he found out An had paired up with Miyu but he wanted to join in just the same, so he asked if Ibu would team up with him. Ibu had no objections and so another team was ready.

Sanada said to Akaya, "Akaya, you will be my partner in this tournament." Then he had turned to talk to Yanagi and Yukimura, leaving Akaya rubbing his nose, thinking as least, he was not playing against Sanada.

Sanada found out that Yanagi and Yukimura were entering as a team. Mizuki had decided to join with Yuta because he was very familiar with Yuta's ways and he thought this would be the surest way to win.

The only ones left without a partner yet were Tachibana, Sengoku and Jiroh. Tachibana did really mind if he entered or not because he was not terribly interested in beach volley.

Sengoku was devastated when he could not partner with one of the girls. He had sneaked behind Sanada and Yukimura to ask Sakuno but was dumbfounded to find that Jiroh had beaten him to it.

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It turned out that Jiroh was pretty upset and looking very down when Bunta had refused to team up with him.

Sakuno had asked him what the matter was and when he told her, she had said, "Well, this time you can still play against Bunta-senpai, right?"

Jiroh had brightened for about a second and was in tears again, saying he did not have a partner because he could not find anyone.

Sakuno was so moved by his sad eyes that she had offered tentatively, "A-ano, Akutagawa-san, if you don't mind… that is… I am not at all sporty… uh… I might give you a lot of trouble… if you… ano… that is… I mean, I can be your partner!"

The last bit came out in a bit of a rush because Sakuno was now very embarrassed and sorry that she had said anything at all.

She would only give Jiroh trouble, she was sure and she said, "Uh… forget it… I shouldn't have said anything… gomen nasai, Akutagawa-san!"

She turned to go when she was suddenly enveloped by a very excited Jiroh. He was exclaiming, "Really? You'd enter with me? Then I can play! Yeah! Thanks! Thank you so much… eh?"

He dug into his very little used memory for her name. He did not remember if he had heard it before and did not remember her name if he had.

His loud exclaims had everyone turning their direction and when some people saw him still hugging Sakuno close, these some people were most unhappy indeed.

The two of them did not notice and Sakuno said, "Eh, my name is Sakuno, Ryuzaki Sakuno, Akutagawa-san."

Before she could request him to release her, Yukimura had already reached them and he clapped a hand on Jiroh's shoulder.

He smiled, "I believe you should release the lady now, Akutagawa-kun."

Jiroh blinked sheepishly and let go of Sakuno, "Hehe, gomen, Ryuzaki. By the way, just call me Jiroh. It sounds friendlier, don't you think?"

Niou thought, "Hell it's friendly!" Yukimura's smile flickered before becoming a smile again.

Oshitari was shaking his head at Jiroh's easiness. Sengoku was staring at them with ridiculous envy. Without being aware of all that, Sakuno smiled at him and answered, "Hai, Jiroh-san!"

At that moment, Atobe came back with Kabaji behind him. His butler had also come along.

Atobe snapped his fingers and his butler walked to the front and held up a clipboard. He said in a clear voice, "If everyone is ready with your teams, please come forward so I may take your names down."

Jiroh very excitedly pulled Sakuno forward so they could be the first ones to put down their names. Actually at the top of the list, there were already Atobe's and Kabaji's names but since he did not know that, it did not matter.

When he gave their names, Atobe raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

He was somewhat surprised that Jiroh had found a girl and a weak-looking one at that to be his partner. On second thought, Jiroh had always cared more about the thrill of the game more than practicalities.

Then, Miyu and An came forward. They would be a formidable pair.

Oshitari and Gakuto also gave their names and Ohtori and Shishido after them.

Atobe had more or less expected them to stick to their partners because it would be so much easier for them to adjust. It was the strategic decision to make and he had expected nothing less.

After the Hyotei regulars had given their names, Yukimura and Yanagi said that they would be entering as a pair. Sanada and Akaya were another team.

Atobe nodded, "I guess your normal doubles are sticking together as well, en?"

Sanada said, "Yes, Niou and Yagyuu will be entering. Then Bunta and Jackal will be entering."

Mizuki said, "Yuta-kun and I will be pairing up as a team as well. Put down our names please."

Atobe looked around, "That leaves… Tachibana, Sengoku, Kamio and Ibu, en?"

Kamio spoke up, "Shinji and I are entering."

Atobe nodded and then he looked at Tachibana and Sengoku, "You will be entering together, en?"

Tachibana said, "It depends on Sengoku. Look at him." Atobe looked at Sengoku and saw that he was spaced out.

Tachibana explained dryly, "Apparently he really wanted to enter with one of the girls but failed and now he's trying to get out of that truth."

Atobe raised an eyebrow, "Well, it will be your job to get him out of it. You two will be the last team, en?"

Tachibana sighed. He thought it would come to this.

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In another spot at the beach, near the stands, quite a number of people were queuing up to put down their names for the tournament. They were mostly young teenagers who were enjoying their summer holidays at the beach.

Some of them had heard of Atobe's name before and knew that when he meant monetary rewards, he meant monetary rewards because Atobe was never one to do things by half.

Some of them just wanted to have a chance to show off in front of all the hot chicks.

Some were purer-minded and wanted simply to have a bit of fun. Of course they would not mind the prizes if they won.

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Auel was trying to get Sting to enter with him.

Auel said, "Come on, Sting! It will be fun! There are all these fun people entering!"

Sting said lazily, "So? I'm not interested in beach volley anyway."

Mayu said, "Sting, Mayu wants to see you play as well, ne, Auel?"

Auel nodded, "Come on, Sting! There will be prizes for the winners!"

Sting replied, "So? What are the prizes? If they are good, then I'll come. If they're not, then I won't."

Auel said, "Eh, they said something about mon… mon… something rewards."

Sting said, "Huh? What the hell is that?"

Neo answered, "Monetary rewards, it said. It means money prizes, Auel. You really have to study more."

Auel stuck his tongue out at him and turned his attention back to Sting, "Come on Sting, it's money prizes, let's go!"

Sting got up and brushed the sand off his swimming trunks, "Oh, alright! Come on, Auel, we have to sign up, don't we?"

Auel and Mayu both jumped up for joy and the three of them went to sign up for the tournament.

Murrue came back with two ices and sat down next to Neo, "Where's everyone? I thought Sting, Auel and Mayu were here?"

Neo got his ice and hugged her close, "They've gone off to sign up for that beach volley tournament that we heard about."

Murrue looked surprise, "Really, I thought Sting didn't want to join."

Neo answered, "I told him there were money rewards and besides, Auel was very persistent. It seems he knows some of the people who will be joining the tournament."

Murrue exclaimed, "How did he know them? We are only in Japan for the holidays!"

Neo shrugged, "Don't know, we can always ask him later. Besides, it's good he's making friends on his own, don't you think?"

Murrue nodded and started to eat her ice. They were quiet for a while, both content in each other's company and then Murrue said, "When the tournament starts, let's go and watch!"

Neo grinned and said, "Sure, you want me to get Shinn and Stellar?"

Murrue nodded, "Okay, they might enjoy it."

They smiled at each other, love shining in their eyes.

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The announcement rang out at the noisy beach, "The hour is up! We will no longer accept signing up for Atobe's Special Beach Volley Tournament!

The tournament will start in thirty minutes! Will all teams please come to the car park area in fifteen minutes for a quick talk about the rules of the tournament and find out when your team will be playing! Repeat…"

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Atobe, who was sitting comfortably in the chair beach provided by his loyal and extremely competent butler, smiled when he heard the announcement.

He was most pleased with the way things were going. It would be an interesting tournament.

He was only a tad bit disappointed that his eternal rival, Tezuka, would not be here to participate. Ah, well, one could not predict everything, he supposed.

Suddenly, he noticed someone edging towards him slowly. He sipped his drink, watching out of the corner of his eyes.

It was a girl with very long braids. He seemed to have seen her somewhere but since he had so many fans, he could not be expected to remember all of them.

Then he thought that it did not seem right. He thought that he had seen her very recently.

He thought harder, she was not remarkably pretty, not like Yukimura's sister, so he would not notice her usually. Ah! That's it! Yukimura's sister's friend!

He knew he had seen her somewhere! He had seen her with Yukimura's sister! Oh, right! He had also seen her with Jiroh! She was Jiroh's partner!

He knew he was a genius. Feeling extremely pleased with his excellent memory, he looked up. She had been there for a little while but was still trying to work up the courage to speak to him.

Well, Atobe did not mind her being awed by his presence. He took another sip of his drink and then handed it to his butler. He crossed his long legs and laced his elegant fingers together.

He said, "You want to speak to me?" The girl gasped in surprise, "Ah! Atobe-san, a-ano… hai!" This was a new reaction that Atobe had not seen before.

He chuckled, "So speak, girl." The girl said, "A-ano… huh? Girl?"

Atobe smirked, "Well, you are a girl, aren't you, en?" The girl, still a bit shy but also a bit annoyed, though it was not apparent, said, "Yes but I-I also have a name, Atobe-san…"

Atobe merely raised an eyebrow. He waited to see if she would offer her name so she would make an impression. He did not care to ask for her name himself because it would seem as if he was the one who was interested.

She went, "I-I guess it doesn't matter…"

She bit her lip and then, looking more resolved, said, "Atobe-san, I would like to ask if you would help my friends enter the tournament!

He was with me when we heard you announced it and went off to look for his partner. They did not sign up in time though. Please can you help them, Atobe-san?"

Atobe was surprised that she did not give him her name and was even more surprised when he heard her asking a favor for her friends instead.

In his experience, girls who approached him only wanted him to notice them but she did not want him to notice her. Interesting…

Atobe thought and said, "Why not, en? Give me their names, girl."

The girl smiled with relief and he noticed that she was very different when she smiled.

Yes, she was rather pretty when she smiled. Maybe it would be worth it to ask what her name was after all.

The girl said, "Thank you so much, Atobe-san! Their names are Auel Neider and Sting Oakley."

Atobe gestured to his butler and his butler immediately noted down the names and walked off to enter them in the tournament.

The girl was about to walk off when Atobe said, "Wait, girl, you have not yet told me your name, en?"

The girl turned back and smiled sheepishly, "Ah… gomen nasai, my name is Ryuzaki Sakuno, from Rikkai Dai, thank you for helping my friends, Atobe-san. I'll go and tell them that they can enter the tournament now!"

Atobe smirked, "Sure, it was nothing, Ryuzaki Sakuno."

Sakuno smiled at him again, a sweet little smile and ran off, her braids bouncing behind her.

Atobe leaned back in his comfortable chair and smiled, "Well, that was interesting, en, Kabaji?"

Kabaji, who might have or might have not, noticed the whole exchange, answered, "Usu."

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A little earlier…

Auel and Sting had been too far back in the queue and when the hour was up, they were not in time to sign up. Sting did not care very much but Auel and Mayu had been very disappointed.

They were walking back when Mayu said she wanted to see Sakuno. Auel had also wanted to see Sakuno and so Sting accompanied them to see this girl whom they had gotten to know a little.

He thought that her name rang a bell and said, "Haven't I heard that name before?"

Auel said, "Baka, you remember that day I went wandering by myself? Well, I met her then, she bought me ice-cream and food."

Sting snapped his fingers, "Ah! That girl who had never been to a game center before! I remember now! You said that she's really nice, didn't you?"

Mayu said, "Sakuno-neechan's really nice!" Auel mumbled, "She's alright."

They neared a spot marked by two large beach umbrellas and a crowd of tall teenagers.

Mayu pointed, "There it is!"

Sting noticed a little figure waving in their direction. He noticed Mayu waving back. Mayu and Auel picked up their steps and the little girl ran up to them.

When Mayu saw Sakuno, she started to wail, "Sakuno-neechan Sting and Auel can't enter the tournament"

Sting was about to tell her to stop that annoying wailing when her first words penetrated his brain. He looked closer at her.

So this was Sakuno, the girl had talked about. Sting thought that no wonder Auel did not mind her. She was even shorter than Auel.

Mayu caught hold of his arm and tugged him closer, "Sakuno-neechan, this is Sting! He was going to enter with Auel but he was too slow and they didn't manage to sign up. Do you think you can help them?"

Sakuno looked surprised, "Huh? What can I do, Mayu-chan?"

Mayu said, "I don't know… maybe you can ask that Atobe guy if he could help."

Auel went on, "Oh, yeah, he was the one who organized this tournament thing, wasn't he?"

Sakuno looked doubtful but she said, "I-I suppose I can try and ask him… no! I will try and ask him!"

She looked determined and then she smiled, "Mayu-chan, Auel-kun, ano… Sting-kun… wait here for me, ne?" Mayu and Auel nodded and she ran off.

Sting asked, "Ha! Auel, so that's the girl who spent the whole day with you without going crazy!"

He wondered how she kept up with Auel's unpredictable moods. Auel was as difficult as Stellar sometimes, just in different ways.

Auel looked at him, "Huh? What do you mean? Why would spending a whole day with me go crazy?"

Sting said, "You are so impulsive. Even I find it annoying sometimes and I'm used to it. Didn't she find you too impulsive?"

Auel said, "I'm not impulsive!"

Mayu chimed in, "Yes, you are!"

Auel exclaimed, "No, I'm not!"

Mayu raised her voice a little, "Yes, you are!"

Auel raised his voice also, "No, I'm not!"

Sting was starting to have a headache and he regretted saying anything at all.

They did this all the time! Do they not find this very childish and extremely boring?

He sighed and in a flash, had clapped his hands over their mouths at the time. It was the quickest way to shut them up, he had found.

They stopped and both pushed his hands away.

Auel growled at him, "Stop doing that, Sting!" Mayu said, "Gomen ne, Sting, it was Auel's fault because he wouldn't admit that he was impulsive."

Auel now glared at Mayu, "It wasn't my fault! You shouldn't have butted in anyway. Sting was talking to me!"

Mayu frowned at Auel, "Of course it was your fault! I did not butt in! Sting was right so I helped him!"

Auel exclaimed, "No, it wasn't my fault!"

Mayu shot back, "Yes, it was your fault!"

Auel yelled, "No, it wasn't!"

Mayu yelled back, "Yes, it was!"

Sting wanted to die. They were starting again.

He thought about just leaving but at that moment, he heard, "Mayu-chan! Auel-kun! Sting-kun!" It was Sakuno back and Sting was so relieved. Surely these two would stop now!

They did and they looked at Sakuno who was panting a little. She smiled at them, "You are now entered in the tournament! We should go along to the briefing now at the car park or we'll miss it."

Auel looked blank and Sting said, "Didn't you listen to the announcement? Come on, Auel."

Sakuno said, "I'm going to get my partner, ne? I'll see you later!"

The three of them waved at her as she went towards the people around the beach umbrellas.

Then they too, set off for the car park.


	39. At the Beach: Part Nine

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for Yukimura Miyu._

_Author's Words: I am not very good with actions in my stories and I do not know much about sports at all._ **If there were any mistakes in the very few lines that I actually described a tiny bit of the games, then please let me know.**_ This chapter and the next few ones will be slow going because I am seriously bad at action scenes. Pleasebe patientwith me, thank you very much._

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: At the Beach (Part Nine)**

Neo saw Stellar skipping happily at the edge of the sea and Shinn was standing near her with a gentle smile on his face.

Neo called out, "Stellar! Shinn!"

Stellar looked up and her face lit up when she saw Neo. She ran towards him, "Neo!"

When she stopped in front of Neo, he patted her on the head softly and Stellar smiled innocently at him.

Shinn scowled and walked towards this stupid pair of 'father-daughter'.

He did not know which were worse, Auel and his stupid mother-complex or Stellar and her annoying father-complex.

They were not even blood related parents and children. He knew that it was very mean of him to think like that but he disliked seeing Stellar so close to anyone other than him.

Neo waved at him with that annoyingly sunny smile. Shinn scowled even harder but when Stellar turned back to him and took his hand, his scowl melted away like ice on the stove.

Neo was always amused when he saw the different expressions on Shinn's face.

He would never make a good politician, Shinn Asuka. He was too emotional and hot-tempered, not to mention that mouth of his. Anyway, it was not his problem.

Neo said, "Murrue wanted to ask if you two want to go and watch that beach volley tournament with us. Auel and Sting are entering and Mayu's over there already."

Stellar's eyes lit up at the mention of her two 'brothers'. Then she looked puzzled, "Beach… volley?"

Neo smiled at her, "It's a sport played at the beach. Auel's very excited about it."

Shinn said, "Stellar, do you want to go and watch it? It's sounds kind of fun. If Rey's here, then I might go and enter too."

Stellar nodded childishly and said, "En! Let's go and watch Auel and Sting!"

Neo laughed at her excited expression and he said, "Come along! Murrue's waiting for us!"

Stellar nodded happily again and pulled on Shinn's hand, "En! Come on, Shinn! Come on!"

Shinn smiled and let her pull him up the beach towards the noise and the bustle. He was glad that she was so happy at the beach.

He knew that she had always liked the sea and she had played at the edge of the waves all day since they had arrived at the beach.

They half-ran and half-walked on the sand, Stellar excitedly pulling Shinn to go faster.

When they arrived back where their stuff was, Neo and Murrue were already waiting for them.

Shinn asked, "Where's that tournament held, Murrue-san?" She answered by pointing in a direction.

Shinn looked at where she was pointing and he gaped.

Somehow, sometime, a large expensive looking pavilion had been erected on the sand and there was a huge banner on the top of it. It read, 'Atobe's Special Beach Volley Tournament'.

Shinn said, "Wow…"

In front of the pavilion, there were already a lot of people. He could see several nets as well and guessed that those were the courts.

He had not played volley ball before but had watched a bit of it on TV and he thought beach volley must be something similar to that.

They walked towards the crowd and Shinn was prepared to push and shove his way to the front so Stellar could see.

When he was getting all tense and ready, Neo's mobile rang. He answered it and it was Mayu.

When Neo finished talking to Mayu, he said, "Mayu told us to wait here for her because she's coming to get us. I think she had really good places to watch or something like that."

Shinn was skeptical but since Neo had spoken, they stood where they were and waited for his sister to appear. Soon he saw Mayu running to them.

She stopped in front of them and panted a bit before she said, "Atobe-san said that we can go through the pavilion and watch with the teams. He said that it's the best view and it won't be crowded!"

Murrue wanted to ask if that Atobe-san was one of Auel's new friends but Mayu had already started running in the direction of the pavilion.

They followed her to the side of the crowd where there were men in black guarding a side entrance to the pavilion.

Up close, it looked very much like a huge tent and if it was more colorful, it could have been almost like a circus top with flags flying on top of it.

The men in black obviously recognized Mayu because they let them pass without a word.

Shinn had a quick thought when he saw them. He thought that they must be very hot in those black suits.

Once they were inside the pavilion, it became much cooler, though it was still noisy. The reason for the coolness was due to an air-conditioner at the back.

This Atobe-san must enjoy his material comforts very much to prepare all that just for an afternoon of tournament.

The pavilion was so big that it had flaps dividing it into sections. The section they were in was filled with people. They were all in swimming trunks, T-shirts, swimsuits or bikinis.

Everyone was talking at the top of their voices.

Some were bragging about how they were going to ace every ball, which was bullshit of course. Others were going on about what they were going to do with the prize money.

From the front of the pavilion, they could see the courts and the people who were sitting or standing around, waiting for the games to begin.

Suddenly, Mayu waved her arms at someone. It was a girl with very long braids.

She was standing with some other tall teenagers which included Auel and Sting. Because the others were so tall, it made her seem exceptionally short.

Neo noticed that she had a neat figure though. Murrue, who knew him very well, elbowed him sharply with a smile on her face as she looked with interest at the young girl coming over to them.

She could also see Auel and Sting talking with the other teenagers. Auel did break off and run after Sakuno to come over to them though.

Still, Murrue was surprised and happy to see them interacting with other people. Usually they kept to themselves back at home except when they were playing basketball or when they were at the game centre.

It was a good sign, she decided.

888888

Auel caught up with Sakuno and they stopped in front of Mayu and the others.

Sakuno wondered if these were some of the people Auel had talked about before.

She already knew Sting who enjoyed playing in the game centre like Auel and she knew Mayu who had a crush on Sting.

She looked at the lovely woman with kind eyes and gentle smile and thought if this was Auel's mother whom he was so fond of.

The tall man next to the woman had a cheerful grin on his face but what caught her attention were the scars on his face. They were not horrible or scary but they did stand out.

Despite that she could not help thinking that he seemed to be a very optimistic person. He was also very handsome in a manly, sunny way.

Sakuno said, "Mayu-chan, are these the people you wanted here to keep you company?"

Mayu nodded cheerfully, "Hai, arigatou ne, Sakuno-neechan. If you hadn't asked Atobe-san, everyone would have to stand outside and roast with the others. Now we can all see clearly how amazing Sting is!"

Auel snorted rudely while Sakuno blushed, "Eh… it was nothing… besides you were with me when I asked him so you didn't have to thank me. A-ano, yoroshiku onegaishimasu, I'm Sakuno, Ryuzaki Sakuno!"

She greeted the people behind Mayu.

Apart from the two adults in the group, there was also an ethereal-looking girl with dreamy eyes and a taller youth with hair dark as night and eyes as fiery as lava.

The girl was looking at everything curiously and the youth kept close to her protectively.

She knew without asking that something special linked them together. It was more than a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship and suddenly, just for a second, a person's face appeared in her mind. And just as quickly, it vanished.

It came too quick for her to know who it was but she was sure that it was someone she knew and was close to. She felt a pang in her heart at the same time.

It was a familiar pang, like when she was love again. It was also different from when she was in love with Ryoma-kun.

Before she could delve deeper, the woman had held out her hand to her and said, "Nice to meet you, Sakuno-san. I'm Auel, Sting and Stellar's mother. My name is Murrue Ramius."

Sakuno took her hand and gasped, "But you're so young!" Then she realized that she had been rude and said, "Ah! Gomen nasai! I didn't mean to be rude, Ramius-san!"

She blushed again. Murrue smiled kindly and it was as if the sun had come out. She said, "Thank you, Sakuno-san. It's nice to know that I am still young in a young girl's eyes."

Neo broke in with a laugh, "You're always young in my eyes! By the way, I'm these three scamps' dad. They're not our kids by blood but by adoption.

Though I would have liked to hear to them call me dad or father or something, they never do. Only Auel calls Murrue 'kaasan', the little scamp."

He was so funny and comical, pretending to be heart broken that Sakuno could not help laughing.

Murrue also chuckled, "He's my husband, Neo Lorrnoke. Don't mind him, he's always like that."

Auel said, "Yeah, he's always like that. You can understand why we don't want to call him tousan, right?"

Auel's tone was so dry that Neo once again put on his heart broken expression which made Sakuno giggle. Then Mayu said, "Mayu's turn! Mayu's turn!"

She pulled the youth with the black hair to the front and said proudly, "This is Mayu's onii-chan. He's called Shinn Asuka and he's always fighting with someone."

Shinn and Sakuno both gaped at Mayu's introduction while Neo laughed and Murrue chuckled.

Shinn said, knocking Mayu on the head lightly, "Baka, who would introduce their brother like that! And I don't fight all the time."

Mayu smiled sheepishly, "Hehe, gomen ne! Oh, and that's Stellar-neechan. She really likes the sea."

Shinn stuck his hand out roughly, "Hi, thanks for taking care of my sister while she was with you."

Sakuno shook hands with him and she looked at Stellar who was also looking at her. Sakuno smiled tentatively and Stellar blinked her dreamy eyes at her.

Then the corners of her mouth lifted up and she smiled sweetly at Sakuno. She came over and pulled gently on Sakuno's braids.

She leaned closer, putting her flawless face close to Sakuno's and with that beautiful face so close to hers, Sakuno could not help blushing.

Stellar fingered the braids, "Pretty…" Sakuno turned en even darker shade of crimson.

Suddenly, someone jumped onto her from behind and hugged her enthusiastically.

Sakuno almost screamed with fright but before she could, the person who was hugging her had said excitedly, "Ryuzaki! Ryuzaki! What are you doing here? Come on, hurry! The tournament's about to begin!" It was Jiroh.

Sakuno's face was now so red that her knees were feeling wick.

What with Jiroh hugging her so tightly from behind and Stellar leaning in so close from in front of her, she did not know what to do.

She was simply not used to so much skin contact with beautiful people or the opposite sex! No, make that she was not used to much skin contact at all!

Luckily, Shinn saved her by calling out to Stellar, "Come on, Stellar, let's go and get a drink from over there and grab a seat to watch the tournament."

Stellar looked up and smiled at Shinn, "En, coming." She finally realized Sakuno's braids and Sakuno signed with hidden relief.

Auel smiled happily at Murrue and cheerfully ignored Neo, "Kaasan, I'm going to find Sting now. You gotta cheer for me, ne?"

Murrue smiled and patted him on the head. Even though Auel was no longer a real child, he still liked it when she mothered him like that.

He beamed and gave her a hug and ran off, calling for Sting. Neo called after him, "Auel! What about my hug?"

Auel looked back and called, "You don't get one, baka"

Neo grinned and waved him off. Jiroh tugged at Sakuno's braids, "Ne, ne, Ryuzaki Come on, let's get ready too! Ryuzaki"

Sakuno answered him patiently, "Hai, Jiroh-san. Ano, mate ne, Murrue-san and Neo-san!"

She gave them a polite little bow and let Jiroh pull her off to warm up.

888888

Due to the fact that there were so many people entering, Atobe ordered his people to prepare two more courts and now, there were eight courts in total.

The preliminaries would go much quicker this way.

There were sixty-four teams entering in total and the preliminaries would eliminate half of that, leaving thirty-two teams for the second round.

Then it would be down to sixteen teams, then eight teams, four teams and then the last two.

Atobe had every intention winning this tournament which he himself held.

Due to time, he had decided to have a limit of fifteen minutes in the preliminaries and the second round. If any game was still going on after fifteen minutes, then they would decide the winner by points.

He saw his butler coming his way and knew that it was time to begin the Atobe's Special Beach Volley Tournament.

He made his way to the front of the pavilion and took the microphone from his butler with Kabaji in tow.

He held up his arm and snapped his fingers. There was immediate silence.

No one knew how or why but one snap of his fingers could always command attention.

He announced grandly, "I hereby proclaim Atobe's Special Beach Volley Tournament to begin now!"

After he said that, there was thunderous applause as usual, for him that was. He had wanted to say that the winner would be him but being aware that he was also the one holding this tournament, he withheld himself.

He had grown up after all and apart from becoming even more skilled in tennis, he was also learning the intricacies of being head of his family's business empire.

He could afford to be gracious because his world had widened ever so much more.

Atobe smiled to himself as he turned to walk back into the pavilion.

The first sixteen teams were going out to get ready for their games.

Atobe sat down on the chair his butler readied for him. From where he sat, he could see all the games perfectly.

His eyes sharpened as he saw that Sanada and Kirihara were out there, as were Tachibana and Sengoku.

They were not going against each other yet. Sengoku was already back to his usual lucky-go, happy self.

The games started and Atobe paid especial attention to these two pairs.

After all, they were not only some of the most brilliant tennis players of their age, they were also exceptional sportsmen in themselves.

He saw Sanada start with a hard overhand serve that was so fast his opponents did not even have time to react. Atobe sat back.

He could tell it was going to be a quick game for Sanada and Kirihara. He turned to Tachibana and Sengoku.

Sengoku had toned his muscles all these years and was not only fast but also very strong.

After Tachibana caught and set the ball, Sengoku performed a very heavy spike that threw the person trying to catch it off his balance.

It was another easy game for them and Atobe did not bother to watch anymore.

888888

Niou and Yagyuu were standing with Yukimura, Yanagi, Oshitari and Gakuto as they paid attention to both Tachibana-Sengoku and Sanada-Akaya.

Jiroh pulling Sakuno excitedly after him came up to join them. He was very much wide awake and jumping around now that the games had started.

He looked forward to playing against Bunta and did not even think about the possibility that the chance might not come because of the groupings.

He did not bother to check because he was so firm in his belief that he could finally see Bunta across the net, even though it was not a tennis net.

Niou and Yukimura both noticed Sakuno and they started for her at the same time, only to stop when they saw Jiroh pulling her hand excitedly.

Niou narrowed his eyes and wowed that the next time he caught Jiroh sleeping…

Yukimura's face frosted over as he contemplated playing against Jiroh the first moment he could arrange for practice game against Hyotei.

Oshitari saw Sakuno's half-red face as she tried to catch up with Jiroh's over-excited babbling and went over to help her.

He said to Jiroh, "Jiroh, I think I saw Marui somewhere over there."

He pointed in a vague direction and Jiroh immediately brightened, "Really? Thanks, Yuushi! See you later, Ryuzaki!"

He released Sakuno's hand which he had been pumping up and down vigorously while he had been talking and ran off in some vague direction.

Sakuno sighed a little sigh of relief. She liked Jiroh because it was just impossible to dislike him but he was so hyper-active!

She turned to Oshitari and smiled gratefully at him. She said shyly, "Arigatou gozaimasu, Oshitari-san."

Oshitari quirked a smile but he kept his distance. He was too sharp not to notice the faces of some of the Rikkai regulars near him. He had no intention of bringing their wrath down on him.

He said dryly, "Jiroh can be very tiring on a person sometimes, don't worry about it."

Sakuno giggled at his tone and then she caught sight of Yukimura who was looking her way. She smiled happily when she saw him and excused herself from Oshitari.

Sakuno half-ran to Yukimura and said sweetly, "Yukimura-senpai, how is the game going? Are Sanada-senpai and Akaya-senpai winning?"

She was a bit anxious about Sanada and Akaya so when she asked Yukimura, she unconsciously pulled on his shirt.

Yukimura did not mind in the least while Niou stood there, annoyed. Sakuno did not mean anything by not talking to Niou. She just did not notice him yet.

She was still waiting anxiously for Yukimura's answer. She was so short and there were so many people that she could not see the games clearly.

Yukimura smiled gently at her and said, "Don't worry about Genichirou and Akaya. They're fine."

He then had an idea and with a mischievous twinkle in his deceptively gentle eyes, he said, "Why don't I let you see clearly?"

Before Sakuno could react, Yukimura picked her up and hoisted her up on his shoulders.

Sakuno squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck to hang on for dear life. She could feel her face going bright red and she stammered, "Y-Yukimura-senpai!"

Yukimura smiled, "See, there's Genichirou."

Sakuno was too conscious of being on Yukimura's shoulders to be distracted and she was about to ask Yukimura to put her down when Yanagi said, "Ah, they've finished."

She looked up to see Sanada and Akaya walking off their court.

Niou was fuming by now at Yukimura's actions while his partner was merely surprised.

Oshitari was chuckling at the action unfolding before his eyes while Gakuto was pretty much oblivious to it.

Gakuto was looking at Oshitari warily though, "What's up now, Yuushi? I hate it when you have that expression on your face."

Oshitari waved his question away, "Never mind, Gakuto, I just thought of something."

Gakuto shrugged and ignored him. He did not want any part of any mischief his partner might be up to.

Well, this time, he actually did not have to worry because his partner was only laughing at the sight of one very pleased young man, namely Yukimura Seiichi, the famous captain of the esteemed Rikkai Dai tennis club; one very annoyed and jealous young man, namely Niou Masaharu, the notorious Trickster of the same team and one very red, again trying to get down little girl, namely Ryuzaki Sakuno, most assuredly the treasure of the esteemed Rikkai Dai regulars.

Niou could have killed his captain gladly, slowly and painfully at this moment. He was that annoyed with him.

He was about to step up and 'save' Sakuno when Sanada reached them and stared at Yukimura pointedly.

Yukimura only smiled, "You won, well done." Akaya was stretching his arms behind Sanada, "It wasn't a game at all, it was so quick!"

Then he noticed Sakuno on Yukimura's shoulders and his eyes popped out, "Buchou? What are you doing with Saku-no-bunny?"

Yukimura explained, "I just wanted her to see better. You can see clearly now, can't you, Sakuno?"

Sakuno, very red still, said, "A-ano, hai but Yukimura-senpai! You can put me down now!"

Not only could she see the games now, she could also see the people that were looking their way because of what Yukimura was doing.

Yukimura was enjoying himself too much to really want to let her down. She was so cute, he thought but again he did not want to embarrass her too much so he regretfully set her down slowly.

Sanada helped her down and Sakuno smiled at him, "A-ano, Sanada-senpai, congratulations."

Sanada smiled that rare, small smile of his at Sakuno, "It was nothing."

Not wanting to be left out, Akaya hugged her from behind, whining, "Saku-no-bunny! What about me? You didn't say anything to me? Saku-no-bunny!"

Sakuno was almost used to being surprised by random hugs by now and she giggled again because Akaya sounded so petulant.

She said, "Gomen ne, Akaya-senpai, congratulations to you for winning so easily and quickly."

Akaya released her and grinned, "That's more like it!"

Sakuno smiled and she was about to say something when she noticed Tachibana and Sengoku making their way to them.

She exclaimed, "Ah! Tachibana-san and Sengoku-san are finished too!"

Sengoku saw her and his face brightened. He was about to dash over when Niou beat him to it.

Niou blocked Sengoku's way and he said to Sakuno, "They should be ashamed of themselves if they could not get past the prelims, yo, Hiroshi?"

Yagyuu who had also come over with Niou, nodded and said, "That's a fair point. Even if there are different sports, with the basic training we normally do, it should not be too hard to win in games like these."

Sakuno looked up at them, "Then, Niou-senpai, do you think I will be okay? I-I am a bit worried that Jiroh-san will lose because of me…"

Niou clapped both his hands on her shoulders and bent down to look at her straight in the eyes.

He said firmly, "You'll be fine, Sakuno! I know that you're worried but first, you've been playing tennis for a long time. Your body will remember to move if you let it relax. Don't think about losing. Think about catching the ball. Trust Jiroh because even if he's like that, he's also an exceptional sportsman."

Yagyuu added, "He's right. Jiroh might want to have all the action anyway. Just relax, Ryuzaki-san."

Sakuno looked at Yagyuu and then at Niou. She was touched that they were really concerned for her.

She smiled shyly, "Hai, Niou-senpai, Yagyuu-senpai, I feel better already!"

Niou straightened and quirked a half-smile. Yagyuu also smiled gently at Sakuno.

Then they turned to get ready for their game because it would be in the next round.

In fact, out of the eight courts in the next preliminaries, there would be five courts with teams that they all knew.

Yanagi and Mizuki did not talk about it but they were both thinking that Atobe must have had a hand in this arrangement.

He was making sure that none of them would be against each other in the preliminaries.

In the next round, Niou-Yagyuu team would be out; Mizuki-Yuta team would be out; Yukimura-Yanagi team would be out; Shishido-Ohtori team would be out and Miyu-An team would also be out.

Both Yukimura and Niou were thinking whether Sakuno would cheer for them.

However, without them knowing, Sakuno's thoughts had already gone out to Miyu and An.

All the first round of preliminaries were finished and the second round were ready to start.


	40. At the Beach: Part Ten

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters apart from Yukimura Miyu._

_Author's Words:_ **Thank you so much to tsubame-chan because she told me about the mistake I made concerning the number of rounds in the prelims.**_ There are 64 teams and eight courts. My maths is horrible and I thought that it meant there would be8 rounds. Actually there were only 4. In the second round of the tournament, there would be 32 teams left and there would be 2 rounds._** I am so glad that she told me because I really would not have noticed on my own. If anyone notices anything that they thought was odd, please tell me and I will check it to be certain!**

**Chapter Forty: At the Beach (Part Ten)**

With such exceptional sportspeople out in the courts, the second round of the preliminaries were very exciting and the crowds went wild.

At the side of the pavilion, Sakuno stood next to Sanada, Akaya, Oshitari and Gakuto as they watched their friends play.

Before, Sakuno could not see because she was too small to see over the heads of the people in front of her. Now, with Sanada and Oshitari clearing the way for her, she could see extremely well.

Not only that, their little space was also quite empty of people as well. Sakuno did not notice but when Bunta and Jackal found them, they noticed that Sanada had been glaring at anyone who dared to try and come their way.

Oshitari did not miss it of course and he was extremely amused. He did not say anything of course and Gakuto and Akaya, being them, did not notice anything unusual.

Bunta was used to Sanada after so many years and he ignored him. Jackal was sharper than that and he looked warily at Sanada, wondering what was up with their fukubuchou.

Then he saw little Sakuno who was standing in front of Sanada. He did not see her in the beginning because Bunta and he came up to them from behind.

He looked at Sakuno who was cheering anxiously for Miyu and An and occasionally for Niou, Yagyuu, Yanagi and Yukimura, then looked at Sanada's protective stance and shrugged.

Jackal made his way to stand next to Oshitari. He would not want to disturb Sanada from his death glare.

Oshitari nodded at him and Jackal whispered, "Has he been like that since the second prelims?"

Oshitari grinned, "He's very protective, isn't he, Sanada?"

Jackal shrugged, "Well, Sakuno's like a sister to him."

Oshitari whispered back, "More like a daughter from what I can see."

Jackal almost laughed out loud but if he did, he would have to deal with Sanada and so he held himself back.

They stopped talking and concentrated on the games outside.

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Shishido and Ohtori were at a court near their vantage point and they watched as Ohtori used his powerful strength and height to serve a strong and fast ball into their opponent's court.

Ohtori thought that using just his arms and hands was somewhat easier to aim than using a racket and the volleyball was bigger and easier to control than the tennis ball.

He made good use of his physical advantage to hit some really heavy balls into the opponents' court.

They were actually not too bad for they could actually catch one or two of his serves but with Shishido quick reflexes and sharp attacks, they did not last very long and soon, team Shishido-Ohtori won.

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Sakuno clapped for joy when she saw Miyu catch a fast serve and An hit it across fast as lightning.

The two girls were attracting a lot of attention with their lovely looks and brilliant reflexes.

Their serves were strong and quick and they worked very well together.

Sakuno watched in admiration as she saw Miyu take on the heavy balls and An's fast attacks.

It was an exciting game for everyone and the opposing team: two well-built guys, had no choice but to loose.

They were pretty graceful about it but then if they had been sore losers, they would anger everyone cheering for the girls, so they just shook their hands when the game was finished and walked off, rubbing their heads sheepishly.

Miyu and An jumped up and down and gave each other high-fives.

They ran to where Sakuno was and the three girls chatted happily a little before looking at the rest of the players.

When they turned around, Yukimura-Yanagi team and Niou-Yagyuu team had both won and they were also making their way back. They were not even sweating, so easy was it for them.

Soon, Mizuki and Yuta also came back. Mizuki was looking very pleased with himself, as usual and Yuta also had a smile on his face. He had always been an active boy and he enjoyed all kinds of activities.

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Mizuki said as he walked into the shade of the pavilion, "Just as I thought, they couldn't do a thing against Yuta-kun's ferocious attacks."

Yuta said, "Mizuki-san, please stop with those descriptions! They're embarrassing!"

Mizuki ignored him, "Yuta-kun's fast saves and dives into the sand and strong serves, great potential there for tennis. I was so right to set my sight on Yuta-kun in the beginning."

Yuta respected Mizuki a lot but sometimes he wished that he could just stop with his strange way of speaking and thinking.

He said, "Mizuki-san, I already play tennis! Besides, you really don't have to describe all that. No one's interested I'm sure."

Yanagi cut in, "You're wrong, Yuta-kun! I'm very much interested because I could not watch all the games. Mizuki, please continue."

Yuta watched as these two data processing fanatics put their heads together to talk about their games.

He noticed Yanagi had already started to use Mizuki's way of calling him Yuta-kun. He shuddered when he thought of Inui and what it would be like if these three got together.

He was about to walk off when he noticed Miyu, An and Sakuno looking at him.

He turned to them and asked, "What?"

He did not mean to sound so gruff but he was hoping that they did not hear Mizuki's embarrassing descriptions of his 'ferocious attacks' and 'fast' whatevers.

No chance of that, Mizuki had been rather vocal and they had heard every word of it.

An giggled and asked, "Yuta-kun From Mizuki-san's words, it seems that you were very lively out there!"

Miyu added with another grin, "By the way, did Mizuki-san do anything on the court apart from noting down your 'ferocious attacks' and 'fast saves and dives' and 'strong serves', Yuta-kun"

Yuta wanted to weep but since he was a man, he could not and so he settled for glaring at them as fiercely as he could.

Unfortunately, they were used to being glared at by various people infinitely more fierce than Yuta so it did nothing except amuse them even more.

They were pretty much right though.

Mizuki had played a bit and then had said something on the terms of from his calculations, their opponents were too weak for him to bother, he would leave it to Yuta to finish them off. Then he had ready just stood there and let Yuta do all the work.

Yuta was used to Mizuki's ways but sometimes, he did wonder…

And now he had to deal with these two devils in disguise because of Mizuki…

He gave up on trying to glare them away and sighed. Sakuno took pity on him and said, "Yuta-san, congratulations on winning your game."

Yuta smiled at her gratefully, "Thanks though to be truthful, it was an easy game."

Miyu and An grinned at each other and decided to let poor Yuta be.

They talked about possibilities of coming up against each other when Jiroh appeared. He was still very excited, "Ryuzaki! Come on, we're in the next round of prelims!"

Sakuno had no time to react when she was pulled out to do stretching exercises with Jiroh.

She remembered that in this round, Oshitari-Gakuto team and Auel-Sting team would also be playing.

She was starting to get nervous but then she remembered Niou's words and she took several deep breaths which helped her relax.

She was not used to being in the centre of attention but with her friends cheering for her, she would do her best.

Besides, Niou was right, she had been doing sports for so many years. Even if she was not great, her body would remember how to move on its own.

She helped Jiroh stretch when she heard him giggling softly. She asked, "Jiroh-san? Are you alright?"

Jiroh turned his head to look at her, "Hehe, don't worry, I'm just very excited! I love competitions! Hehe!"

Sakuno did not know how to respond to that so she just smiled, "H-hai, Jiroh-san…"

Auel bounced next to her with Sting behind him, "Sakuno! Are you ready? I'm so excited, ne!"

Sakuno looked at him, "Hai, Auel-kun! Ganbatte ne!"

Auel grinned and they walked off to the court where their game would be.

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The second round of preliminaries had all finished and the teams in the third round were already going towards their courts.

Jiroh stretched one last time and pulled on Sakuno's hand again, "Let's have fun, Ryuzaki!"

Looking at his happy and carefree face, Sakuno could feel her nervousness disappearing and she smiled back, "En!"

They took their places on one of the courts. Jiroh at the back and Sakuno in the front.

Their opponents were two guys who looked very fashionable with styled hair and lots of accessories. One would think why on earth would anyone want to style their hair while they were at the beach?

However, they also looked as if they worked out at a gym or something because they did have a bit of muscle on them.

When those guys saw that their opponents were a little girl and a hyper-active looking guy, they snickered to each other.

One of them called out, "Hey, little girl, why don't you go home and play with your dolls!" The other also called out, "Yeah! Also, that jumping jack over there, you sure you're up to this? Hahaha!"

Jiroh heard them and he looked surprised as if he was not sure they were talking to him or not.

Sakuno really disliked people being so nasty to others. If it was good-natured teasing, then she understood.

However, she could not understand how people could be so nasty to others. It was very ill-natured and she disliked it a lot.

Jiroh did not mind because he was a very good-natured young man with the ability to let insults and ill-will slide off his back like water off a duck.

Sakuno, on the other hand, was a bit annoyed and she was even more determined to do her best.

She did not want anyone to think that Jiroh was just a hyper-active boy because she had seen him play tennis before and she could remember how happy he was and how skilled.

He was a rare tennis player who honestly appreciated the game.

She was not so much concerned for herself but when it came to other people, she could get very protective.

She could hear her friends' voices from the side of the pavilion and she concentrated on relaxing her body so she could move easily. Though she was shy and quiet, it did not mean she did not have a temper.

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On a court near Jiroh and her, Oshitari and Gakuto were also getting ready.

Oshitari took one look at their opponents and sighed. It was a pair of lovey-dovey lovers who were at this very moment blowing kisses at each other.

Gakuto also looked at them and he felt his stomach turn a bit.

He looked at Oshitari and Oshitari shrugged at him. They would just have to finish as quickly as possible to get away from them.

While they did not have anything against public displays of affection, it did not mean that they did not mind going against people who were doing it in front of them.

Gakuto thought that he was going to throw up soon if he had watch any more of the puckering-up-the-lips and blowing-an-audible-kiss across to her lovey-dovey boyfriend and having it returned, several times.

On another court, Auel and Sting were also getting ready.

They had not played beach volley before but Auel had seen it played on TV. They had also watched the some of the other games and were confident that they would be fine.

The rules seemed to be very simple and they were both used to be moving and jumping and such like.

Auel saw Murrue and he waved to her happily.

Sting eyed their opponents. It was a serious looking male-female team.

He could tell they were normally active from the tone of their skin and muscles.

He smiled to himself and thought that it was not such a bad idea after all. It was getting a bit boring at the beach anyway.

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Soon, the games started and Miyu and An both watched anxiously as Jiroh served. It was not too fast or too heavy and it was easily returned.

They cheered when Sakuno caught it. They thought that she must be in a good condition today. They had no idea that she was actually in a little temper because of the earlier insults.

Sakuno set the ball and Jiroh, using his flexible wrist spiked it towards a corner of the opponents' court.

It was a fast spike, totally unlike his earlier serve and their opponents had no time to react to it.

It landed accurately at the left-hand corner and Jiroh and Sakuno gave each other high-fives! Sakuno's face was lightly flushed with excitement and her eyes sparkled.

Their opponents could not believe they let these two score. They said to themselves that it must be a coincidence.

The game started again and Jiroh spiked the ball towards the other corner. It was another fast shot and Miyu and An cheered loudly.

Their opponents' looks turned nasty and they were determined not to lose face anymore.

They started to aim the balls towards Sakuno and she started having a hard time catching the heavily hit balls. She was determined though, because Niou, Yagyuu and Jiroh had all trusted her.

However, one of the balls caught her by surprise. It was faster than she expected and she lost her balance and fell back on the sand with a soft cry.

Their opponents scored and they looked very pleased with themselves.

Jiroh ran to Sakuno's side and helped her up. He looked very worried because he knew that if not for him, she would not have entered the tournament.

He asked, "Are you alright, Ryuzaki?"

Sakuno smiled, "I'm fine, Jiroh-san. I'm not going to give up!"

She got up and patted some of the sand off. Jiroh saw her determined expression and he grinned, half with relief and half with admiration.

Then he turned serious which was very rare for him. He was very easy-going but it did not mean he was not a fighter.

Since they were targeting Sakuno, he would just have to make sure that they could not have the chance again.

In his chair, Atobe noticed Jiroh's change of expression and he smiled in amusement.

He had seen Sakuno being targeted of course but he had not expected Jiroh to get worked up about it.

He got worked up so rarely that most people thought he only knew how to sleep, eat and play tennis.

Atobe had seen him practice his volleying techniques though and knew that there was a leopard sleeping under that happy friendly face.

He leaned back and said to no one in particular, "Let me see that leopard more often, Jiroh."

After that, the opposing team really had no chance to target Sakuno. Apart from their serves, Jiroh basically dominated the game.

None of the opponents could control their serves well enough to aim so Sakuno caught those easily.

She had been practicing her tennis with Miyu during the holidays and Miyu's serves were very quick, though not heavy.

Sakuno missed more than not but she had gotten used to seeing fast serves with tennis balls and these serves with volleyballs seemed very slow indeed.

She would catch them and set them high for Jiroh and he would ace the ball.

It was a quicker game than both of them expected and when it was finished, Sakuno was in such a hyper mood that she did something she would not normally do.

She stuck her tongue out at the opposing teams. Then she ran quickly back to Miyu and An with Jiroh after her.

The two girls were laughing when Sakuno and Jiroh came back.

Oshitari-Gakuto and Auel-Sting had already finished and were also back at the pavilion.

Gakuto was gagging as Oshitari talked about their opponents to Auel and Sting.

Sting also looked a bit green as he listened. Auel was smirking nastily while thinking, "Thank goodness we didn't get that pair or I would have wanted to beat their guts out."

Niou and Yukimura had both come up to talk to Sakuno.

Niou said, "You did very well out there, Sakuno!"

Yukimura said, "It was a pity you had such nasty opponents though."

Sakuno beamed up at them as she answered, "Jiroh-san helped me a lot out there! Didn't you, Jiroh-san?"

Jiroh said, "Hehe, I didn't like those guys anyway. It was fun though, Ryuzaki!"

Sakuno nodded and then someone patted her on the head. She leaned her head back to see who it was.

It was Sanada and he said, "You did very well out there, Sakuno."

Sakuno smiled happily at the Emperor's praise.

Everyone knew that he was really stingy with his praise. Not because he was mean with his words but because he had such high standards that he rarely praised people.

Actually Yukimura was pretty much like him in that respect but he looked so gentle that people usually did not notice.

In front of Sakuno though, it seemed as if all their high standards had gone to rot.

However, in a way, they were also right because Sakuno rarely played as she did just then. She caught most of the balls and while she did not attack, her defense was not bad and she seemed to get along with Jiroh.

All in all, it was not a bad game for her and for those who knew her.

They all waited for the other courts to finish.

In the fourth round of preliminaries, Ibu-Kamio, Bunta-Jackal and Atobe-Kabaji would be out in the courts.

After that, the second round of the tournament would begin with the thirty-two teams left.


	41. At the Beach: Part Eleven

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for Yukimura Miyu. _

**Chapter Forty-One: At the Beach (Part Eleven)**

Atobe stood up and with Kabaji behind him, strolled casually but elegantly out onto the courts.

It was the last round of the preliminaries and he was prepared to play. He stood confidently at the front of his court and Kabaji stood silently at the back as usual.

On other courts, other teams were also getting ready.

He knew that Ibu and Kamio were out there somewhere, as well as Marui and Jackal. However, he did not pay any of them any attention now that he was out on the courts.

He looked at his opponents with a confident smirk. It seemed to one that Atobe had no concept of what nervousness meant.

He thought that he wanted to get the prelims out of the way quickly so he could play against more worthy opponents, even if it was not tennis.

Opponents like Sanada and Kirihara or Yukimura and Yanagi. Tachibana and Sengoku were another worthy team.

There was also another team that he noticed during the other rounds. He remembered that it was the team that he allowed to enter even though they did not sign up in time.

He remembered it was that girl, Ryuzaki Sakuno, who asked him to help them about it.

It was an interesting team. They did not seem to be sportsmen and yet they had a fluidity in their movements that was almost wild in its viciousness.

It was something he had not seen before and it intrigued him. There was also an economy in their movements.

Nothing was wasted and each jump, each flexing of the muscle counted. It was beautiful in its strangeness.

He wondered where they came from because they looked like foreigners with their pale hair and skin.

He decided that it was worth going up to that Ryuzaki Sakuno to ask about them.

Besides that, he thought that it would be worthwhile to talk a bit more to this girl.

She seemed to be very important to the Rikkai regulars and that was strange.

Though he was not close to them personally, he had known them for a long time.

The Rikkai regulars, especially Sanada, were famous for their strict discipline and all-male atmosphere.

Unlike the Hyotei tennis club, the Rikkai regulars did not encourage female fans to cheer for them. It was run by discipline and tradition and skill.

However, he noticed that they were different towards that Ryuzaki Sakuno. From what he could see, she was rather weak and clumsy but they treasured her.

Jiroh even became serious on her behalf which was something to be noted by itself.

He himself thought that she was somewhat different but he did not let it bother too much. She was only a girl after all and he had many other things to occupy his mind.

Nonetheless, it would serve more than just his curiosity if he could talk to her so he would do that, later.

He said to Kabaji without turning his head, "Kabaji, make this a quick game, en?"

Kabaji answered, "Usu."

So Atobe had ordered and so it would be done.

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Jackal stretched as he got ready at the back of the court.

He said to Bunta who was jumping up and down near him, "It should be just like our other games, right?"

Bunta stopped jumping to blow a bubble at Jackal which he burst to say, "Right, except this is beach volley and not tennis.

I'll leave the defense to you, Jackal! Oh, and the serves as well and remember to set me some high ones, ne!"

Jackal said, "Huh? Not again!"

Bunta looked at him with a crestfallen expression on his face which Jackal knew to be false but he sighed anyway, "Whatever…"

Bunta grinned and said, "Thanks, Jackal, the great Iron Defense of Rikkai Dai!"

Jackal muttered, "Yeah, right." Bunta said, "Huh? Did you say something?"

Jackal said, "No, just get ready."

Bunta resumed getting used to jumping on the sand. He could see Sakuno looking their way and he waved at her cheerfully.

She had played a better game than he had expected so he knew that he could not be any worse. If he was, then there would be hell to pay.

Sanada would definitely be after him with extra training and Yanagi would not help matters by citing facts and stating statistics.

Yukimura would just smile that deceptive gentle-killer smile of his and hand him over to Sanada with his blessings.

Most of all, he did not want to lose face in front of Sakuno who was so sweet and who looked up to him, her senpai.

There was also Miyu who would make a big issue out of it if he played badly. Oh, and he must not forget Niou, Akaya and Yagyuu.

They were just as bad in different ways. Akaya would be really snide and Yagyuu would be coldly critical.

Niou might actually be the most easy-going of the lot but that was because they were not playing for the team.

When it came to the team, he had some strange loyalty and principles that baffled Bunta.

He did not think about that though and concentrated on the game that was about to start.

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Kamio was also getting used to the sand.

He was doing quick dashes on their side of the court.

Because of the friction, he was not up to his usual speed but it was still fast enough that his opponents were staring at him in awe.

It suited him just fine and he kept a fast rhythm in his head as he dashed this way and that.

In the front, Ibu was loosening his wrist and concentrating on checking out the opponents.

He was being silent for a change because he was thinking of skills he might try out with beach volley and if those skills might work with tennis and what about the difference between just using his hands and using a tennis racket and so on.

He was not aware of it but he quite frightened his opponents because during the time he was thinking he was also looking straight at them without blinking.

While his friends were used to him, these people were not and frankly found him to very unnerving.

It was just as well he was not speaking to himself at this moment because if he did, his opponents would probably think that he was casting a spell on them or doing something equally evil.

Ibu was not evil of course but his rather sullen appearance, pale skin and dark hair and eyes gave him a sinister feeling which had nothing to do with his being evil or not.

What with Kamio running like a hare and Ibu staring like he did not have any eyelids, their opponents were seriously freaked out and they whispered frantically to one another.

They seemed to be arguing about something and finally they came to an agreement. They went over to the referee who was at the side of the court and said something.

Ibu ignored them and Kamio did not notice.

By the time they came out of their little worlds, they had an unwelcome surprise waiting for them.

Their opponents had decided that they were not up to the game and Ibu-Kamio had won by default.

They were speechless and the referee waved them away, saying that he had to report this to Atobe's butler who was in charge of the whole tournament under Atobe's orders.

Ibu and Kamio walked back to the pavilion looking a bit lost.

Well, Kamio looked a bit lost and Ibu… was just Ibu.

He was muttering to himself again about how if they were not well, they should not have entered the tournament in the first place and how he really wanted to try his hand at beach volley and how he lost his chance and how it was probably all Akira's fault and how he should not have been running around in that odd way of his with that annoying hairstyle of his and so on…

Kamio did not hear any of that which was better for everyone because it was certain to start an argument.

He was too busy telling Tachibana, Sengoku and An about their 'win' by default.

He was really disappointed because he had wanted to show off in front of An, not that he said it but they all guessed.

While he was still going on about how unfair it was, the other games had already started.

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Sakuno stood at the edge of the pavilion with Miyu and the other Rikkai members, all paying attention to Bunta and Jackal out there.

Yukimura, Sanada and Yanagi were also watching Atobe and Kabaji, partly out of habit and partly in amusement.

Atobe had played doubles before even though he was one of worst doubles player ever.

That Sanada could readily attest to, although many thought that he could have been talking about himself.

When he partnered with Kabaji for a doubles game, he let Kabaji do all the work.

The one time he partnered with Sanada, he wanted to do all the work as did Sanada.

His Hyotei team-mates watched as their buchou stood there on the court like a king and Kabaji served, caught and spiked.

Shishido said with a scowl, "Honestly why do we put up with him?"

Oshitari answered with a wry smile, "Because he's the best."

Shishido snorted but he did not say anything.

Ohtori said in his peaceful way, "Oshitari-senpai does have a point there, Shishido-senpai."

Suddenly something fell against Gakuto's legs. He looked down, annoyed and found it was Jiroh who had fallen asleep again.

He had been watching Atobe's game and had gotten bored with Kabaji doing all the work.

On the other court, Bunta and Jackal were winning their game pretty quickly.

Jackal did not let any ball touch their court and Bunta's spikes might not have the strength like Sanada's but they always landed on the opponents' court.

It was like magic, one twist of his wrist and the ball would go where he willed it.

He had put a lot of hard work into this skill of his and was very proud of it. It was also what made Jiroh admire him so much.

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Very soon, both games were finished.

Apart from Ibu-Kamio's default win, Atobe-Kabaji and Bunta-Jackal were the earliest teams to win this round.

It was to be expected and Atobe was very pleased with the results.

He strolled back into the pavilion and saw his team-mates standing with Yukimura, Sanada and Yanagi.

He also saw that Ryuzaki little girl there. A-ha! He thought to himself. Just the person he was looking for!

He sauntered over to them with Kabaji after him. Oshitari saw them and waved.

The others all turned and watched as he came their way.

He nodded to them and with something like could be described as an elegant smirk on his face, he walked into their midst and without hesitation, walked straight to someone.

They did not know what he wanted to do but it was definitely a shock to everyone when he walked up to Sakuno and actually looked at her with something like interest in his eyes.

He had not forgotten what he had wanted to do after that game. He said, "You're called Ryuzaki, right? I want to ask you something, en?"

Sakuno looked around. She was not quite sure how to respond.

She did not know why the prouder than most buchou of Hyotei Gakuen would want to speak to her, not to mention ask her questions.

Atobe looked amused at her childish reaction.

He said again, "Yes, it's you I'm speaking to, there's only Ryuzaki here that I know of. You can stop looking around."

There were gasps all around now. Sanada and Yukimura did not care for his tone of voice towards Sakuno.

Although the Hyotei regulars were used to Atobe's relatively self-centered ways which on another person would be rude ways, but they still wanted to shake their heads when he ignored everybody else and just did what he wanted.

However, he had such a royal presence that people usually obeyed first and then wonder about it later.

If Mizuki was like a prince, then Atobe would definitely be the king, no, an emperor. Oshitari thought, as a side thought, Sanada would probably be a general.

He nodded to himself. That's it, they could all act in a movie and he would be a director and little Sakuno would make a lovely little princess. It would be a good romance.

While he had been woolgathering, Sakuno had finally looked up to Atobe and said, somewhat timidly, "Ah, what did you want to ask me, Atobe-san?"

Atobe said, his voice laced with amusement, "I just wanted to ask you about that team you told me about earlier. That team with the two foreign-looking people."

Sakuno looked blank as she tried to think who it was that he meant. Then she comprehended and said, "Ah! Auel-kun and Sting-kun?"

Atobe said, "Is that what they're called?"

Sakuno nodded, "Hai, ah… did they do anything?"

Atobe raised an eyebrow, "No, I just wanted to know more about them. Where are they from?"

Sakuno looked a bit embarrassed when she heard what he was asking. She did not know how to answer Atobe because she did not know where they were from exactly.

Auel had never mentioned it and she had not thought to ask.

She had helped him on the streets that day and when they talked, he had said that he was in Japan on holiday with his family and friends. He had not offered to let her know more and she had not asked.

He had talked a lot about his family and friends though. They seemed to be interesting people but somehow, she doubted that Atobe would want to know about that.

She flushed with embarrassment as she stammered, "Ah… ano… Atobe-san, I-I don't know…"

Atobe raised both eyebrows this time, "Huh? What did you say, en?"

Sakuno blurted out, "I-I don't know where they're from!"

Sanada and Yukimura could tell their precious little friend was embarrassed now and they turned rather unfriendly. They both stepped forward.

Yukimura put his arm around Sakuno protectively while Sanada stood in front of Atobe.

He said, "Atobe, if you want to know about another team, why don't you ask them yourself? Stop bothering Sakuno here!"

Atobe was really amused now. He did not expect them to react like that and it was… entertaining.

He put his hands up, as a mock sign of surrender and said, "I apologize if I distressed Ryuzaki. I am most interested in that team because they have a very interesting way of moving. I think that I am not the only one to notice that, en?"

Oshitari said, "Oh? What do you mean, Atobe? Gakuto and I were playing at the time and we didn't see."

Yanagi stepped forward this time because he was also a little curious about Sakuno's friends.

He said, "Atobe's right. Their movements were quick and economic. More so than anyone I've ever seen. I do not think they were sportsmen though."

Yukimura was not pleased now.

He said in a quiet voice, "If you are all that interested, then go and ask them yourselves. Sakuno is under no obligation to tell you anything."

Sakuno looked up at Yukimura. She thought he sounded angry but when she saw his face, it looked too calm. She could feel he was not pleased though and she did not know if it was her fault.

She put her hand on Yukimura's arm timidly. Yukimura looked down at her at once.

She said softly, "Yukimura-senpai?"

Yukimura looked at her and he was hard pressed not to pull her behind him where she would be shielded from the others.

Somehow, Sakuno blushed under his intense gaze and she swallowed before speaking, "I-I can go and ask if Auel-kun and Sting-kun if they would speak with Atobe-san later?"

Sanada also turned back to look at Sakuno. He did not mind what she did as long as she was no longer distressed.

Yukimura understood that her willingness to help people was part of her charm so he nodded and said, "Maybe that would be the best idea."

Sakuno smiled with a relief. She did not like any kind of negative tension and this felt too much like a confrontation that was building up.

She tried to look at Atobe but Sanada was in the way. He turned aside to let her pass and Sakuno walked forward to stop beside Sanada.

She was a little in awe of Atobe because his confidence was something she could not understand and that put her off a little.

She looked at him without an ounce of confidence but with Sanada beside her, she said, "A-Atobe-san, maybe I can ask Auel-kun if he would speak with you later? Is that alright?"

Atobe seemed to think and nodded regally, "Will you introduce him, Ryuzaki, en?"

Sakuno brightened and nodded, "Hai, Atobe-san."

Atobe gave a small smile, "That would be fine, Ryuzaki. I will see you later, then. Now, I will have to go and announce for the second round of the tournament to begin, en?"

Everyone thought that he was about to turn away when he took one step forward and gave a gallant half-bow.

He smiled his most charming smile, looked straight into Sakuno's wide, guileless eyes and said, "Also, I must apologize for distressing you earlier, Sakuno-san. Will you grant me forgiveness?"

Sakuno blushed for the umpteenth time that day and stammered, "H-Hai…"

Atobe did not look away from her but he could feel some very sharp glares coming his way.

He took it one step further and said, "I am honored."

Then he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek lightly and while everyone was still shocked and standing there, he escaped elegantly with Kabaji after him and Sakuno red as a strawberry.


	42. At the Beach: Part Twelve

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except for Yukimura Miyu._

_Author's Words:_ **Thank you, everyone for waiting so patiently.**_ I have been slowing down a bit simply because I have been really tired lately._ **I hope that these two chapters, 42 and 43, are worth the wait.**

**Chapter Forty-Two: At the Beach (Part Twelve)**

Niou and Yagyuu stared stonily at Atobe's elegant retreating back.

Yagyuu was unwillingly impressed with the flair and grace that he could see in Atobe's kiss and escape.

He was not overly pleased, of course, with Atobe's words and actions but he could not deny that Atobe had surprised them all.

He was calm enough to guess what it was that Atobe had wanted to achieve just then.

Yagyuu looked at his team-mates and thought that he had succeeded admirably. He looked around and saw Oshitari with an expression of wry amusement.

It appeared that someone other than himself had caught on Atobe's little game.

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Oshitari also glanced around and saw a number of the furiously fuming or fumingly furious Rikkai Dai regulars.

He had to give it to Atobe to attempt something so dangerous as to inflame some of the best sportsmen in the country just for the sake of a good match.

It was not even a tennis match but a bloody beach volley game!

Oshitari sometimes really wanted to kick his friend on the butt but since he rather valued their friendship, he refrained.

Atobe would never forgive him if he did do such an undignified thing.

Well, at least he was going to get what he set out to achieve. Oshitari shook his head and walked off in search of his the-world-revolves-around-me friend.

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Akaya was hopping mad and you could almost see the steam coming out of his ears.

If he was still in junior high, he would have marched up after Atobe and planted his fist into his face immediately after he had kissed his bunny-girl.

However, he was older now and had learned that there are some things he could not do if he wanted to go on playing tennis. Reacting to situations with immediate violence was one of them.

He forced himself to take in deep breaths but it was so difficult not to explode like he had wanted to.

How dare he touch his Saku-no-bunny like that! Just wait until the next match!

He tightened his fists and decided that he would beat Atobe right down to the ground if he could.

With the volley ball of course, or Sakuno might not like it.

He wanted to march right over to Sakuno and rub away at the place where stupid Atobe placed his dirty mouth on her cheek.

He decided that it was not a kiss because Sakuno did not like the guy anyway, not like she liked him and the other Rikkai regulars.

She did not like that guy… right… she was only being her usual gentle self… that's why she did not slap him when he pecked her on the cheek… no…

she was being her usual clumsy self when she did not punch his face out when he pecked her on the cheek… no…

Akaya, calm down… deep breaths… or he would really go over and rub Sakuno's face raw…

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Unbeknownst to Akaya, he was not the only person to want to beat Atobe right down to the ground, and through it right down to Australia or somewhere around if they could.

Niou lost his easy smirk as he retreated inwards to think about the possibilities of coming up against Atobe as soon as possible.

He would have liked to beat him in the finals of course but he knew quite well that his teammates were all fired up by his actions as well.

He knew that all of them had the ability to go up against Atobe and Kabaji and win.

While he was always happy when his teammates won, this time, he wanted to do the honors of trashing Atobe himself.

He narrowed his eyes and thought maybe he could get rid of some of them so they would not be able to compete in the next round.

Maybe some of that dodgy stuff he got off an acquaintance who did not wish to be named. Or perhaps a trick to lure them into the toilet, lock them in and put the 'cleaning in process' sign at the door.

He would have no qualms about doing things like that, since this was not a tennis tournament with their reputation at stake.

However he was well aware that they would smell a rat for they knew him too well indeed.

He could lie and trick almost anyone but his teammates were too close to him, not to mention they were some of the smartest people in the school.

Especially Yagyuu, Yanagi, Yukimura and Sanada; just the four of them were enough to put him on guard if he wanted to try anything.

Besides, Niou looked at Sakuno. He knew that she was important to them all and they would all like want to get their hands on Atobe for that cheeky kiss he stole.

He knew because he felt the same and he also knew it would take rather desperate measures if he wanted to get any of his teammates off the tournament at this point.

He guessed he would have to give up that particular idea and sighed.

Still, he was confident if he did not face Atobe opposite the net, he would get his own back one way or another.

At that train of thought, the Trickster grinned evilly and somewhere off, Atobe suddenly felt a chill and ordered his people to change the temperature of the air-conditioning from cold to cool.

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Sakuno unconsciously put her hand to where Atobe had kissed her on the cheek.

She might be used to Yukimura's brotherly kisses but it did not mean she was used to being kissed just like that.

She knew that it was probably just Atobe's strange habits but she could not help feeling self-conscious about it.

She thought that she should try and forget it because it was not anything meaningful.

Besides she had to go and tell Auel about Atobe wanting to talk to him.

She turned to Yukimura and was surprised to see him looking so serious and not a little too pleased. She said, "Yukimura-senpai?"

Yukimura heard her call him and his face changed as if the serious look had never been there. He said, "Do you need something, Sakuno?"

Sakuno rationalised to herself that he was probably just focusing on the upcoming games and she said, "I'm going to find Auel-kun and tell him about Atobe-san wanting to speak to him."

She did not notice but when Yukimura heard Atobe's name from her lips, he gave a very slight twitch and he almost lost his smile right there.

He did not though and nodded with his smile intact. Sakuno waved at him as she ran off to find Auel before the next round of games started.

After she ran off, Yukimura lost his smile right there and then.

Yanagi had noticed all of it and he went up to stand next to Yukimura. He said, "Seiichi, I haven't seen you this displeased in quite a while."

Yukimura turned to look at his friend and Yanagi said, "Fine, I won't talk about it if you don't want me to. Still, don't worry about it because he won't get away so easily, whether it is now or later."

At that, Yukimura smiled but it was a cold smile indeed.

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Sanada unclenched his fists when he noticed that he was clenching them so tightly, his nails were biting into his palm.

He had not liked Atobe's easy attitude with Sakuno. He knew that it was just Atobe's usual way with everyone but he was angry just the same.

He was having some trouble trying to control his temper which was rare. He was used to having tight control over himself, including his emotions.

He did not remember having been so close to losing his temper in a long time.

Even when he disciplined the boys in the tennis club, he had a tight rein on himself. Each slap he delivered had been deliberate and while he might be angry, it was very different from being in a temper.

He had seen little Sakuno run off to find her friends and was grateful for it because he did not want her to see him like this.

He valued their close friendship and he did not want to frighten her.

She was so frail in his eyes, so different from most of the people he knew who saw him as a stern and hard taskmaster.

She was open and friendly to him. She treated him with respect and yet it was not at a distance, unlike so many other people.

She was not afraid to talk to him and she trusted him, not because he was the Emperor but because she considered him to be her friend.

He knew that she trusted him to watch over her and that in her own way, she watched over him as well.

He did not really think of her in terms of girlfriend material but it was true that she was a special person to him.

Whether more would come of their friendship, he did not know and did not care. He would let things happen as they would.

If in the meantime, she fell in love with another person, he would still protect her and would hope that she would never lose that gentle smile of hers.

Therefore he would not allow her to suffer being used like that. He knew that Atobe was just being himself but that was no excuse.

He would make sure that Atobe knew that the next time they meet, be it across a net or not.

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Sakuno looked around the crowds and though she could not see over the heads of most people there, she still managed to spot Auel's pale fluff of a head.

She squeezed between people and finally got to Auel's side.

He was all alone, standing by himself and drinking from a water bottle.

When he saw her, he put down the bottle on a nearby table, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said 'hi' to her.

He was in a very good mood as Sakuno could see from the sparkle in his eyes and the happy grin on his face.

She asked him where everyone was and he shrugged, indicating he was not sure. He did say that Sting was dragged off by Mayu.

He asked, "Yo, what are you doing here?"

Sakuno answered him, "Ah! Auel-kun, do you remember Atobe-san? He was the person who held this tournament. He said that he wanted to meet you and Sting-kun."

Auel looked at her with some surprise and not a little suspicion, though it was not her that he was suspicious of.

He just did not trust people who were that forward. For that matter, he did not think he would trust anyone who was too introverted as well.

They tended to be unpredictable and sometimes even dangerous.

He was well aware of that from experience.

After all, Stellar could be one of the quietest girls but she was capable of suddenly lashing out and attacking everyone around, mostly with a knife or two.

Sakuno continued, "He said that he watched you and Sting-kun play and he was very much impressed, Auel-kun! Even Yanagi-senpai said that it was an interesting game!

You must be really good because they are some of the best sportsmen I know! I wish that I could have watched your game! I wonder if I would get to watch your next one, ne?"

Sakuno was very impressed now as she thought back on what the tennis players had said.

Auel, of course, basked in all her admiration and mellowed somewhat but that did not mean he would just promise to meet this Atobe fellow.

He grinned confidently, not at all bashful at being praised so much and said, "Well, I don't know but it would be nice if you can watch one of our games. We are certainly the best!"

Sakuno giggled gently at his boyish boasting. Auel was grinning back when someone knocked him on the head and said, "What are you up to now?"

It was Shinn and Auel was almost shocked to see him without Stellar.

He said, "Where's Stellar? You didn't leave her by herself in here, did you? She could kill someone, you idiot!"

Shinn knocked him on the head again, "Don't be daft, I wouldn't be that stupid! She's with Mayu, Neo and Murrue-san.

Neo's trying to explain the rules of the game to her. I'm here because Sting was looking for you. He wanted to talk about the next game or something."

Auel smirked, "So Sting managed to get away? Well, I bet Stellar dumped you to stay with Neo and Kaasan, right? Ha!"

He was rewarded with another knock on the head and was about to do some 'knocking' of his own when their attention was caught by the sound of laughter.

The two boys looked at the source of the tinkling sound and saw Sakuno trying without success to stop her laughter.

She found their bickering very heartwarming, though she thought Auel would not like that description. It was times like these that made her long for siblings.

She said, "Gomen, I didn't mean to laugh but you two are almost like brothers!"

The two boys looked at her for second and then at each other.

They turned back to her and said as one, "Heck, no!"

Sakuno was slightly surprised at their loud tone of voice but then she giggled again because they were now glaring at one another with all the annoyance they could muster.

She stopped giggling and reminded Auel that Sting was looking for him.

Auel reluctantly broke off his glaring-contest with Shinn and nodded at Sakuno before turning to find Sting.

Sakuno called after him, "Auel-kun, what about Atobe-san?"

Auel turned back to answer, "I'll have to speak to Sting first!"

He waved and disappeared into the crowd.

Sakuno was left with Shinn. She felt slightly embarrassed and a bit uncomfortable because she did not know Shinn and she did not quite know what to say.

Shinn was also not at ease because he very rarely speak to girls he did not know.

They looked around them for a few seconds, both trying to come up with something to say.

In the end, Shinn decided to speak first, not being the most patient person in the world.

He said, "Eh… so… do you want to come and say hi to Stellar again? I think there's still some time before the next games start and she seems to like you."

Sakuno was happy to hear that and she nodded, "Okay, I like her too. S-she's very pretty." She added shyly at the end.

Shinn grinned and they made their way back to Stellar, Neo and Murrue.


	43. At the Beach: Part Thirteen

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except for Yukimura Miyu._

**Chapter Forty-Three: At the Beach (Part Thirteen)**

Atobe looked over the paper in front of him.

It was the list of teams in the next round.

There were now thirty-two teams left.

With eight courts and two teams for each court, there would be sixteen teams out in one go and that would be only two rounds in the second set of the tournament.

He thought maybe it would be a good idea to gather all the remaining teams and let them draw lots to see who they would be up against in the next game.

That would be more exciting and he liked the idea very much.

Deciding he would do just that, he gave orders for his butler to prepare. Then he sat back to wait for the announcement and the teams to turn up.

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Sakuno and Shinn skirted through the crowds and soon, they saw Neo, Murrue and Stellar standing together.

Shinn was again caught between annoyed and happy to see Stellar smiling so sweetly.

He was annoyed because the smile was not because of him.

He knew that Neo and Stellar were more like father and daughter than anything else but being a possessive person at heart, he sometimes would wish that she would only smile at him and for him.

This just showed that he still had a lot of growing up to do, as some of his other friends had once said.

He walked over to them with Sakuno behind him.

Shinn called, "Stellar!" Stellar turned at the sound of his voice and her face shone when she saw Shinn.

She skipped the few steps towards Shinn, "Shinn!" Then she saw Sakuno and she stopped shyly, the smile still on her face.

Sakuno greeted everyone politely, "Murrue-san, Neo-san, Stellar-san."

She looked around for Mayu and asked, "Where's Mayu-chan?"

Murrue greeted her with her lovely smile, "Mayu's looking for Sting again."

Sakuno chuckled when she heard that Mayu had gone off looking for her crush again.

Sakuno liked these people because they made her feel at ease.

They were like her grandmother in the way that they did not stand to ceremony and did not seem to mince words with meaningless pleasantries.

On one side, Shinn was already speaking to Stellar, happy to be with her again. He had already forgotten about the other people's presence.

Sakuno looked at them with wonder. Murrue said to her, "It's beautiful, isn't it? This devotion between the two of them is so total that they do not seem to have room for anything else."

Sakuno looked at Murrue and nodded, "Hai. I-I…"

She wanted to say something or ask something but was not quite sure what it was that she wanted to say.

Murrue and Neo looked at her patiently, knowing that she was trying to put her feelings into words.

They were with Shinn and Stellar often and yet, they would still be amazed at the bond between them.

They could fully understand how it would touch a young girl like Sakuno who would also be hoping and searching for a bond like that.

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Sakuno looked at Shinn and Stellar again, trying to find words for what she was seeing in front of her.

Earlier when Shinn was with her and Auel, he had been just like any other boy around her age.

True, he was attractive but still, he did not really stand out that much.

However, when he was with Stellar, something made him different.

He seemed to stand straighter or was it that his whole demeanor became gentler.

There was a protective feeling that he gave out when he was with Stellar, it was not overwhelmingly so but one could feel that he was firm.

She could tell that he would do anything to protect this girl in front of him.

Stellar responded to him as well. She looked fragile but there was nothing fragile about her feelings for Shinn.

Her eyes glowed with warmth and adoration. It was not the lovey-dovey type of adoration though.

They did not cling together or send each other kisses or anything of that sort. It was a deeper feeling than that; deeper than love somehow.

Sakuno could see an infinite trust between the two and the absolute feeling of them belonging together.

She could see just from their eyes and expressions that theirs was a simple, pure joy, untainted by anything else. It was as if there was nothing else around them.

Sakuno suddenly bit her lip because she could feel herself longing for that kind of bonding.

She remembered the days when Ryoma was her day and night, sun and moon.

She might have had gotten over Ryoma, the boy, but her feelings in those days were not so easily forgotten.

Those feelings were pure and untainted.

At that time, she did not long for anything more than to see him and watch him play tennis. It was that simple.

She thought that it must be something like what Shinn and Stellar had.

She looked at Murrue to find her looking at her patiently, "Murrue-san… why are they so… pure? They… they don't see anything around them… do they?"

She did not know if she was making sense but Murrue seemed to understand her.

She answered the young girl, "No, they don't see anything around them. Even if they don't have anything else, as long as they have each other, they are complete. It is their single-mindedness, I think."

Sakuno was confused, "Single-mindedness?"

Neo cut in, "Yep, single-mindedness and focus. A passion for each other that is irreplaceable. Most people spread their feelings.

My passion is for Murrue and also for Auel, Sting and Stellar. I also love my friends and my work. While these feelings are just as special what Shinn and Stellar have, they are not as intense because they are spread out more.

Shinn's only passion is for Stellar. While he loves his family and friends, the feelings are definitely not as intense as what he feels for Stellar."

Murrue put her hand on Sakuno's shoulder, "It is a very childlike quality. This total intensity they have for each other very rarely belongs to people who are grown up.

As we grow up, we collect important things into our hearts. We meet people; we find interests; we acquire memories.

All these go into our hearts and very often, we lose that single-mindedness that children have. We learn to let go, you see."

Sakuno was starting to understand and she said, "Is-is that why… they seem… they seem to shine?"

She blushed when she realized that she had just said something that sounded rather silly.

Murrue can understand though, "Yes, it's just like people who concentrate whole-heartedly on something they feel very strongly for.

We are often attracted to those who are committed because they seem to shine. Their light is focused because there is only one thing for them.

For us, our lights are mostly spread out between different, like home and work or in your case, home and school."

Sakuno was again reminded of what she had felt for Ryoma.

Part of what she had liked so much was his single-mindedness for tennis.

It was also what made her admire Seigaku's regulars so much because they were so focused on their tennis.

She could understand now.

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She smiled shyly at Murrue and Neo, grateful for their patience and touched that they took the time to help her understand what it was that made the bond between Shinn and Stellar so special.

She did not know why she wanted to know. She thought it could be because it was so like the time when she had a crush on Ryoma.

The intensity of it was so strong that it still lingered on her mind, even more so than the short period of time that they had been a couple.

She knew that she would always remember that bittersweet feeling because it was too special and it had been too strong for her to ever forget.

However watching Shinn and Stellar now, these two young people who were about her age and their passion for each other, she felt a surge of hope that she, too, would be able to find such a bond.

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Sakuno was about to turn and say something to Murrue and Neo but suddenly, the loudspeakers blasted a loud 'gong' and a voice boomed, effectively catching everyone's attention.

It announced, "Will all remaining teams please proceed to the car park behind the pavilion? Repeat! Will all remaining teams please proceed to the car park behind the pavilion?"

Sakuno was startled into forgetting what she was about to say.

Murrue looked at her stunned expression at the sudden announcement and chuckled, "Go along! It was a pleasure to talk to you."

Sakuno's face brightened and she said happily, "Hai!"

Before she could say more, Auel and Sting with Mayu had somehow made their way back to them.

It was apparent that Mayu was successful in locating her precious Sting.

When they heard the announcement, Sting had wanted to go off immediately but Auel insisted on hearing Murrue say 'good luck' to him before they go.

After Auel got what he had come for, he dragged Sakuno along with them as he bounced to the meeting place excitedly with Sting following at his own pace.

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Sting had enjoyed this game called beach volley more than he had expected.

He enjoyed moving his body just as Auel did and now that they had a target, it was even better.

While their target would be to win the tournament instead of actively taking down someone, it was still preferable than to just do anything aimlessly.

He liked having a target, while Auel was more about the fun and excitement of it all.

He was surprised though at how easy Auel was with this little girl because he was somewhat difficult to be with sometimes.

They did not have much of a childhood so he had always wondered how Auel had turned out to be so much like a spoiled brat at times.

He was not too concerned over it though because at least, he was not the one being forced to listen to his inane chatter for the time being.

He was also very much relieved that Mayu was not with them.

While he did not mind the girl, he did mind it when Auel and Mayu started one of their stupid arguments.

It drove him crazy and usually he would be the one to deal with them because no one else bothered and it was either putting up with it or stopping them before it became something worse.

When they got to the car park, there were already a number of the other teams who had arrived.

He could recognize some of the tall, well built young men that he had talked to earlier.

He remembered that they were Sakuno's friends.

Some of them saw Sakuno and came over. Sting exchanged amiable nods with them and noticed as they took in Auel who was holding onto Sakuno's hand.

Sting thought to himself, "So here are some more love-struck sods…"

He had seen that kind of 'I don't like another male touching the girl I like' look on Shinn's face all too often.

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Yukimura, Akaya, Jackal, Bunta and Niou all came over when they saw Sakuno arriving with that team Atobe had wanted to ask about.

Yanagi joined them when he too noticed them. They were honestly a strange team from what he had observed and he was rather interested.

Bunta and Akaya ran excitedly to Sakuno while the rest of them showed a bit more dignity and actually walked.

Sakuno was happy to see them. She had already forgotten her earlier embarrassment about Atobe's kiss.

However her faithful Rikkai knights had not and they all noticed that she was holding hands with Auel.

Although Yanagi could see that she obviously treated Auel with a motherly indulgence and it was him tagging her hand rather than holding it, his hapless friends could not.

Maybe they could but they just chose to ignore it and decided on the sillier course of being annoyed secretly while pretending not to care.

It could also be because the Atobe-incident, as Yanagi called it, was too close to the surface of their thoughts.

While he found all this quite interesting, he also felt sorry for his friends because Sakuno, the girl in question, had seemingly forgotten about it already.

No, not seemingly, knowing her, Yanagi would say that she had definitely forgotten about it except for the 'Atobe wanted to speak to her friends' part.

While Sakuno was asking the Rikkai regulars what they were gathering for, Sting had come up and pulled Auel away from Sakuno.

While he was amused at the expressions of the other boys, he also did not want any trouble.

He did not think they would actually be hostile in front of Sakuno but because Auel had a rather volatile temper at times, he did not want to take any chances.

The group with Sakuno relaxed immediately after Auel left and Niou said, "We're not quite sure what Atobe wants at the moment.

I think he wants to make sure that everyone's here before saying anything. You know what he's like, all that drama and flair."

Sakuno giggled and Akaya said, "Whatever, I just want the next game to start so I can beat the…"

Yukimura had covered Akaya's mouth with a firm hand before he could say anymore.

He was quite sure that whatever comes out next would be along the terms of 'leaving Atobe in pieces' and he did not want Sakuno to hear anything of that sort.

Some things were always best left unsaid.

Jackal was quick to catch on and he slung an arm around Akaya's neck and when Yukimura released him, dragged him off saying that he saw Sanada looking for him.

Yanagi was shaking his head with mock pity at Akaya's plight.

Niou merely rolled his eyes at Akaya's thoughtlessness.

Why could he not understand that there would be no point in getting back at Atobe if it meant upsetting Sakuno?

Sometimes, that one-year age gap felt like a decade. At least Bunta showed a bit more sense here.

He was distracting Sakuno from commenting on their treatment of Akaya and successfully too, from the sound of her merry laughter.

Yanagi saw more teams arriving at the car park and he said, "We had better go up and see what Atobe is up to now."

Sakuno agreed, "Oh yes, Yanagi-senpai's right. I need to find Jiroh-senpai as well. I hope that he's not asleep somewhere."

Yukimura found at this moment that he had a jealous streak in him, a rather nasty one because he seriously did not like hearing even the name of another male from Sakuno's mouth.

Of course, none of that showed. He just said, "Don't worry about Jiroh. Oshitari and Shishido made sure to carry him along."

Sakuno said, "Carry?"

Yukimura smiled his oh-so-gentle smile, "Yes, carry. He was still asleep and they couldn't wake him.

They said that Kabaji was not with them so they had to settle for carrying him. One at the shoulders and one at the feet."

Sakuno had nothing to say to that. Yukimura, still smiling, said, "Shall we go?"

It was clearly a command for the group and they all walked back to the gathering.

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A man in black walked to Atobe's side and whispered something in his ear.

Atobe smiled when he heard that. Everyone who should be here was here.

He stood up and got the microphone that his butler was holding out, ready for him to use.

He switched it on and started speaking, "So, everyone's all here, en? To make things more exciting, I have decided that for this round of games, we would draw lots to see who we would come up against."

He then handed the microphone back to his butler who had to wait awhile before he could explain further because the teams were muttering amongst themselves.

When it was all quiet, he said, "You will all draw a number from this box and according to your number, your team will be noted down on this board here."

He pointed to the large white board with the table showing who would be playing who.

He continued, "First, will Team Atobe-Kabaji come up and start?"

Atobe went to the box with an ultra confident expression his face. He drew a number and his team was written down on the board.

One by one, the teams went were called out and numbers were drawn.

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When it came to Team Tachibana-Sengoku, Tachibana had to go and do the draw because Sengoku was busy chatting to a girl standing nearby.

Usually it would be Sengoku doing this because he always managed to get really lucky results.

As it was, Tachibana drew a number and when he looked at the board, he found that, to his dismay, they were up against his sister, An, and Yukimura's sister, Miyu.

He sighed and went back to tell Sengoku the bad news.

No, rub that thought, Sengoku would probably think it was good news, though Tachibana would never understand why.

Tachibana himself never did get that worked up about girls. Perhaps it was because he had such a strong-willed sister.

Still he was not looking forward to playing a competitive game against girls.

He was a gentleman at heart and he knew that despite all the equality talk nowadays, there were differences between male strength and female strength.

He sighed again.

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When it was Team Sakuno-Jiroh, Sakuno had to go out because Jiroh was still dead to the world.

Oshitari had assured her that once it was their game, he would wake up but she could not help being a bit nervous as she went out and drew a number from the box.

She was so relieved when she saw they would not be going against anyone they knew yet.

In the end, Teams Sakuno-Jiroh, Shishido-Ohtori and Niou-Yagyuu would be playing against strangers.

The other pairs ended up like the following:

Miyu-An vs. Tachibana-Sengoku;

Sanada-Akaya vs. Jackal-Bunta;

Yukimura-Yanagi vs. Oshitari-Mukahi;

Atobe-Kabaji vs. Yuta-Mizuki;

Auel-Sting vs. Kamio-Ibu.


	44. At the Beach: Part Fourteen

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except for Yukimura Miyu._

_Author's Words:_ **Due to the upcoming Easter Holidays, I will be travelling soon.**_ This means that there will be long periods of time between my updates. _**Please do not look out for my updates in the next month or so because it will be highly unlikely that they will be posted.**_ I will continue to write though and hopefully do my best to make them available as soon as I have an internet connection where I will be going. I hope that you will all understand and thank you for putting up with me._

**Just one more thing, I would like to ask for requests** _so I can think about them during the holidays. They can be from any anime and if I know them, I would like to have the chance to think about them. Moreover, I don't do yuri or yaoi, so if you do have anything, make sure they are not of the same sex. Thank you._

**Chapter Forty-Four: At the Beach (Part Fourteen)**

In the first set of the second round of Atobe's Special Beach Volley Tournament, there were eight teams out there who were familiar to Sakuno. She watched anxiously as her friends got ready to play on their respective courts.

On one court, there were Niou and Yagyuu who had finished stretching and were talking in low voices.

On another court, she could see Sanada-Akaya and Jackal-Bunta.

Sanada was standing stoically, very much concentrating as if this was an important tennis match instead of one of Atobe's whimsical ideas.

Akaya was still stretching because he had a lot of energy to spare and wanted to be in his best form against his senpai-tachi.

Jackal was thinking that he would not mind going up against Sanada and Akaya if it was his beloved tennis but why did it have to be beach volley?

He liked the game well enough but Sanada and Akaya looked ready to kill!

Still, he knew that it was just not in him to give up like that, nor would Bunta allow him to slack off.

They had been partners and Rikkai regulars too long for them to forgo that intensely competitive spirit they had cultivated.

Bunta was loosing his joints and chewing on his bubblegum, intent on doing his best.

He knew that Sanada and Akaya would be a formidable pair but it did not mean he would give up just like that.

Sport games, he had learnt over the years, could be most unpredictable and he knew that he still had the chance to beat the two monsters across the net.

He had every confidence in himself and his partner, Jackal.

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On a third court, Oshitari-Gakuto stood on the other side of the court from Yukimura-Yanagi.

Oshitari looked as he usually did, confident and yet at ease with himself and everything around him.

Gakuto was jumping on the sand, testing this patch of sand that would be his territory for the up-coming game. He was careful to watch out for hidden shells or rubbish.

Yukimura was no longer the gentle-looking onii-san that most people were familiar with.

He was every inch the captain of Rikkai Dai and possibly the best tennis player of his generation.

He was never one to allow himself any slack, much like Sanada, when it came to competitive sports. He had the ability to back up his pride too.

Yanagi was reviewing in his head all the data he could remember about Oshitari and Gakuto.

To him, it was all the same, he relied on being clear-headed and strategic and it had worked more often than not.

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There was another Hyotei team out on the sand.

Shishido and Ohtori were also getting ready in their own way.

Ohtori was standing tall and straight under the sun, waiting for the game to start before he bent his knees and tensed his muscles.

The most respectable boy on the Hyotei team, he would never treat any competition with anything less than serious.

Shishido was glaring at his opponents, unintentionally intimidating them a bit.

However, unlike Kamio and Ibu's earlier opponents, Shishido was luckier in his opponents who were made of firmer stuff. It also helped because while Shishido looked fierce, he did not look eerie.

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The last two teams who were out on the sand were one of the most surprising combinations in the tournament.

It was Teams Miyu-An and Tachibana-Sengoku.

The two girls were chatting to themselves as they did stretches.

They were fully prepared to thrash their hapless opponents. It did not really matter who they were, they were both very competitive when they felt like it and now, they did.

It was mostly because An was extremely excited about going up against her own brother and Miyu could very well understand that.

They were both well-toned from years of playing tennis, not to mention being light on their feet with excellent reflexes.

On the other hand, they knew quite well that their weakness would be the difference in basic strength and were determined to overcome that by speed and strategy.

Unlike their lighthearted seriousness, Tachibana was feeling his full eighteen years of age and some months today.

He hated unfairness of any kind and he did not like playing against girls.

He was torn between wanting to let off a bit on his strength in case he hurt his sister and her friend but his principles were given him a hard time.

He knew that if he played it easy, the girls would kill him slowly.

Still, he grew up protecting his sister and therefore he really had a dilemma on his hands.

He glanced at Sengoku who was whistling cheerily and grinning as he leaned and stretched, very much relaxed and in the mood to play a good game.

He looked so happy that Tachibana wanted to smack that grin off his face.

Tachibana had the suspicion that his friend was just happy because he was a cheerful lecher and the girls were wearing bikinis.

If only he knew what Sengoku was thinking, he would definitely put out his eyes and get Yukimura and Kamio to help him.

While Sengoku knew very well that the girls were off limits, it did not stop him from looking his fill of smooth skin, long legs and beautiful bodies.

He always did have a healthy appreciation of the opposite sex, unlike some of his weird (according to his standards) friends.

He knew that tennis was very important to them all. It was important to him too, but did he let it stop him from being a normal hormonal young man?

No! The answer was no!

He was just like any other young man under all that brilliance…

Wait, no, he was just like most other young men under all that brilliance except for Atobe.

No one was exactly like Atobe, even he had to admit.

As Sengoku looked at Miyu's tall slim form and An's sporty enthusiasm, he wanted to weep with the joy of being alive.

In fact, he almost had tears running down his cheeks when Tachibana interrupted him with a tap on the shoulder.

Sengoku looked back at his friend crossly, "What?"

Tachibana was taken aback by his annoyance and he flared, "What do you mean 'what'? I've been trying to get your attention so we can at least talk about how we are going to play!"

Sengoku had the grace to look sheepish; he had nearly forgotten why there were two bikini-girls standing opposite him.

He said, "We'll play the way we always do. Trash them… ah… maybe that's not such a good idea…"

Tachibana sighed. This was going to be just great…

He could not bring himself to be hard on his sister and Sengoku was never one to be nasty to girls.

How would they play against the two girls?

If they were serious, they would feel bad.

If they were not serious, they would feel bad.

Not to mention they would be killed afterwards by the girls. It looked like hell either way.

Sengoku now understood why his usually confident friend looked so glum.

He, too, could see the dilemma.

Suddenly, a voice caught their attention. It was Miyu and she said, "Tachibana-san, Sengoku-san? Are you guys alright?"

Sengoku replied with a weak smile, "We're fine."

Quickly, he leaned towards Tachibana, "Can't we say we don't feel well or something?"

Tachibana looked at Sengoku sourly, "I live with An. She'll kill me if I pull something like this on her."

Sengoku nodded, "Oh, right, sorry. So I guess we'll just have to do our best not to hit too hard."

Tachibana said, just as sourly, "Do you think she won't be able to tell when we slack off? Then she won't just kill me, she'll strangle you as well."

Sengoku grimaced, "Oh, right. Does that mean we'll just have to think they're guys and play like normal?"

Tachibana paused and said, "Yeah, I guess that's what we'll have to do."

An saw them talking and called out, "Hey, it's about to start! Hurry up, you two!"

Tachibana got in place at the back with Sengoku in front.

Sengoku was trying very hard to imagine that the girls were guys that he knew but was not having much luck.

Tachibana was not either but since both of them had been playing in tournaments and matches for years, they had the serious attitude ingrained in them.

An and Miyu saw that they were prepared to be serious with them and grinned. Both girls would have hated it if either of them slacked off just because they were girls.

They were confident that they still had the chance to win.

After all, they had their pride as well. It would be a good game.

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Miyu got ready to serve. She tensed and relaxed and then threw the ball into the air.

Slam! The ball went over the net like a bullet.

Tachibana was surprised at the speed and the strength.

She seemed to be stronger than his sister but he still caught the ball with a quick dive.

Sengoku sent it over the net to a corner, not wanting the girls to catch it because of his strength.

An was quick though and she sent it up into the air for Miyu to hit.

Miyu prepared to do another fast hit and both Tachibana and Sengoku tensed.

At the last minute, Miyu relaxed just a fraction and ball went over lightly.

They did not expect it to be a light hit and it landed softly on the court.

Tachibana and Sengoku looked at each other with something that looked like shock on their faces.

They really did not expect that and then they smiled with relief.

It was no longer a question of them holding back.

It was a question of which would be the smarter and faster team.

They were now fully prepared to give it all they had.

Miyu and An grinned and gave each other high-fives.

They knew that people would unintentionally hold back just because they were two pretty girls but now, they doubted Tachibana and Sengoku would do that.

If they were not careful, the game would be over before it started!

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Just when the Miyu-An against Tachibana-Sengoku game was starting to heat up in earnest, Shishido-Ohtori were already way ahead of their opponents and it would not be long before they won.

Their opponents were also two sporty young men but they were no match against the Hyotei doubles pair.

Shishido and Ohtori had been friends since junior high and were as in tune with each other as the famous Golden Pair in Seigaku – Oishi Shuichirou and Kikumaru Eiji.

With Ohtori's beach volley's version of his now perfected Scud Serve and Shishido's swift counters, the other team had no chance at all.

This was an easy game for Shishido and Ohtori and they were not even breathing hard when they walked back to the pavilion.

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Sakuno really did not know which game to watch.

She was watching the game between Miyu-An and Tachibana-Sengoku when another game caught her attention.

It was the game between Yukimura-Yanagi and Oshitari-Gakuto.

It was now Yukimura's turn to serve and he was showing a side of himself that Sakuno never really saw before.

He was almost like another person out there on the court. He was not stern like Sanada or intimidating like Shishido.

On the other hand, he was like a pool of water; calm and deep. In a way, he was like Tezuka.

Everyone knew that he was the best but when one watched him play, it was hard to say what it was about him that was so great.

He did not have just one skill that was remarkable. All his skills were remarkable; in fact, one could say that he was remarkably perfect.

Due to Rikkai's superior skills, very few people had actually watched Yukimura Seiichi play tennis that much.

Just as Tezuka rarely got to go out onto the court, Yukimura mostly stayed on the bench and looked impressively bored.

Oshitari Yuushi, the Game-maker of Hyotei, was having a bad feeling about this game.

He knew that Yanagi was like Seigaku's Inui; annoyingly astute with their data but he was confident that he could handle him together with Gakuto's agility.

He was right too, if it was Yanagi with another Rikkai regular, he might have been able to get the advantage over him because after all, he had been playing doubles with Gakuto for years.

Yanagi was used to playing singles and it was very different.

Oshitari knew that Yukimura also played singles but now that they were together, it really did not seem like it.

Yanagi and Yukimura were not only fast and skilled; they were also very compatible as a team.

As this point of the game, the score was still pretty even but because Yukimura's attacks were sharper, harder and faster than they expected, Gakuto was having a harder time than usual and he was getting tired quickly.

All that jumping and diving around was taking a toll on Gakuto.

While Oshitari was doing an excellent job of attacking and landing the ball on Yukimura-Yanagi's court, it was not enough.

This was because Yanagi and Yukimura were also doing an excellent job of saving the ball and returning it even before Oshitari had landed on the sand properly.

He might be fast but the speed had always been with Gakuto and they were losing more points than scoring them.

In a sudden flash of thought, he wondered if that was the difference that having Sanada Genichirou and his Spartan style of training made.

At that, he landed on the sand as the ball shot into the sand at the same time behind him. They lost.

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Auel who was standing with Sting near Sakuno was paying particular attention to the court where Niou and Yagyuu were playing.

Even before, he had sensed that Niou was his type of a person.

They both enjoyed their bit of fun and now he was sure he was right. Their game did not appear to be remarkable in the beginning.

In fact, it seemed to be fairly even with both teams not scoring any points. Auel had had the feeling that it was odd.

He might not be a sportsman but he had been around people who used to be in the military or who made movement a part of their lives.

Therefore he was very sensitive to people's bodies and the rhythm with which they moved.

While he might not be able to articulate with words, he was very sure that Niou and Yagyuu could move better than they were doing now.

Their movements at the moment felt stilted and slower than it should have been. He wondered what they were up to.

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Yagyuu glanced at his partner as he half-heartedly blocked an attack at the net.

He did not approve of the way they were playing today but since Niou had made a special request for them to hold back a bit, he would oblige.

He wondered if it had anything to do with Atobe's earlier little bit of cheek.

He knew that his friend had been most displeased, to put it lightly and he had been half worried that he would do something stupid.

However, Niou had more restraint than that and he did not do anything though, as Yagyuu had thought, he was tempted to.

Niou had decided that he needed to cool off some steam or he would do silly and stupid.

He was at his best when he was cool and calm, unlike Akaya who was the fired-up type and played best when he was in a temper.

Therefore when he saw their opponents, he decided that he could afford to hold back in the game and regain his cool that Atobe had kissed away so easily.

It was a petty trick that he rarely did but playing nasty tricks on people had always made him feel better.

As the other team thought they had a chance of winning, they would give it all they had and thrash them.

Since he had no chance to take his temper out on other people before the game, then this would have to do.

He was feeling a bit better now and was prepared to put an end to this little game he was playing. He figured that they could get this game over and done with.

He made a sign at Yagyuu when he was looking his way and Yagyuu nodded.

They were prepared to show their true colors and win.

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Mizuki smiled with some amusement as he watched Niou and Yagyuu.

They were obviously holding back in the beginning and had decided to let go now.

He did not know why they would do that but it was a good show.

It was almost like one of his scripts when they dictated how much slack they should give and how much to take back.

He chuckled, rather evilly, in Yuta's opinion as he stood next to his respected mentor.

Yuta wondered for the umpteenth time how he could have such strange role models in his life.

There was his brother, Fuji Syusuke, and then, there was Mizuki Hajime.

He was just glad that he was not like them because much as he respected them, they were scary sometimes.

As he looked back at the game he was watching, which was the game between the two Rikkai teams, Niou-Yagyuu had already won theirs and were making their way back to the pavilion and in Niou's case, Sakuno who was clapping her hands excitedly when she saw them win.


End file.
